What helps against sore muscles: 5 reasons for Montmorency sour cherries

Do you suffer from muscle soreness or sleep disturbances after a workout? Intense training is important for improving your fitness, but sometimes it can have undesirable consequences. When you're experiencing muscle soreness, exhaustion, or sleep disturbances, proper recovery is especially important so that you're fully fit for your next workout. The key question then is: What helps with muscle soreness and how can you achieve rapid recovery after exercise? Montmorency tart cherries could be a simple and effective solution. In this article, you'll learn five reasons why these cherries can be an interesting addition to your post-workout nutrition plan.

Montmorency tart cherries have enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years among ambitious athletes seeking rapid recovery after intense training sessions. The Montmorency variety stands out as it provides a variety of important nutrients that benefit the body after intense exercise while also supporting overall health.

Montmorency sour cherries are rich in:

• Vitamins A, B and C
• Minerals and trace elements such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron and zinc (1)
• Polyphenols, especially anthocyanins (2)

The Montmorency sour cherry is one of the most researched cherry varieties, especially with regard to its effects on health, athletic performance, and post-exercise recovery—and not without reason. With an average of 4.07 mg of polyphenols per gram, it is one of the most polyphenol-rich varieties of all (3).

Polyphenols are secondary plant substances that plants produce to protect themselves from external influences such as UV rays, pests and diseases or to attract beneficial insects (4).

Montmorency tart cherries contain large amounts of flavonoids and anthocyanins. In the human body, these natural substances help inhibit pro-inflammatory enzymes. This can reduce the formation of harmful oxygen and nitrogen compounds that occur after intense physical exercise. This can reduce inflammatory reactions in muscle tissue and prevent muscle soreness (5).

After intense training sessions, the body's recovery is a crucial step to avoid overload and injuries, as well as to increase long-term performance. Montmorency tart cherries have been the focus of numerous studies examining their effects on inflammatory processes in the body, particularly in relation to recovery after exercise and the prevention of muscle soreness. ( 5 ) .

During intense training, the muscles are subjected to considerable stress. This can lead to small tears in the muscle fibers – a completely normal process that is part of the body's adaptation and strengthening. However, these micro-damages can also trigger inflammatory reactions.

Certain signaling pathways in the body are involved, such as the NF-κB and MAPK pathways. They influence the severity of the inflammation and which neurotransmitters are released. When this process is triggered, the body produces pro-inflammatory substances such as IL-6 or TNF-α, which can further exacerbate muscle soreness (6).