Tart Cherries - The Influence on Acute Adaptation

NCT07354204 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 51533
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 21
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare recovery and impact on acute adaptation conferred by the RBE following eccentric exercise in healthy, active participants. The main questions it aimed to answer were whether 7 day supplementation with Vistula tart cherries attenuated:

• muscle function
• inflammation
• soreness Participants will either consume a spray-dried tart cherry supplement or a calorie-matched placebo-control for 7 days, and complete two bouts of eccentric exercise to the elbow flexors. Participants will perform functional tests, be assessed for their perceptual recovery and markers of inflammation and muscle damage via:
• maximal voluntary contractions
• visual analog scales to assess soreness
• blood samples

Conditions

Recovery

Keywords

Repeated bout effect; exercise recovery; tart cherry; muscle damage

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Maximal Voluntary Contraction

  Maximal voluntary contraction measures the force capacity of the forearm flexor muscles

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hour 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Active Muscle Soreness

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hour 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

• Pain Pressure Threshold

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hour 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

• Limb Girth

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hour 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

• Range of Motion

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hours 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

• Serum Concentration of Creatine Kinase

  Measurements were taken on 8 separate occasions. Once at baseline, 24 hours 48 hours and 72 hours after the damage protocol (Bout 1) then repeated again for Bout 2, two weeks later.

Study Arms (2)

Vistula Tart Cherry

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Supplemented with tart cherries.

Dietary Supplement: Tart Cherry

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Supplemented with a calorie matched placebo.

Other: Placebo

Interventions

Tart Cherry DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

7 day supplementation

Vistula Tart Cherry

Placebo OTHER

7 day supplementation

Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy
• Active

You may not qualify if:

• Food allergy
• Smokers
• Cardiovascular/gastrointestinal/thyroid/renal disease
• Musculoskeletal injury

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northumbria University: lead
• Iprona Lana SpA: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Northumbria University

Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom

Location

Study Officials

• Glyn Howatson

  Northumbria Univeristy

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor Glyn Howatson

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2025
• First Posted: January 21, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2023
• Study Completion: December 1, 2023
• Last Updated: January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)