Tart cherry (TC) consumption has become a popular nutritional strategy for recovery, particularly for the attenuation of markers associated with muscle damage. However, there are relatively few studies that have examined an acute dosing strategy. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of using powdered Vistula TC for recovery following a bout of muscle-damaging exercise. Twenty-two recreationally active participants (mean ± SD age, stature, and mass were 23 ± 3 years old, 173 ± 10 cm, and 74 ± 17 kg, respectively) performed 40 (5 sets of 8 repetitions) maximal lengthening contractions of the elbow flexors. The participants were randomised to receive either a spray-dried TC extract or a calorie-matched placebo (12 TC, 10 placebo) for 4 days in total, starting on the day of exercise. Dependent measures of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), muscle soreness (assessed via visual analogue scales; VAS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), range of motion (ROM), and upper arm limb girth were taken at baseline (pre), 24, 48, and 72 h post damaging exercise. There were significant changes over time among all the variables (MVC, VAS, PPT, ROM, and girth, p ≤ 0.014). There were no significant differences between the conditions for any of the variables (MVC, VAS, PPT, ROM, and girth, p > 0.3). The TC group did not recover at an accelerated rate compared to the placebo. This study provides initial insights into the use of powdered Vistula TC and its effect following strenuous (damaging) exercise bouts. Vistula TC did not improve recovery when taken acutely following a bout of damaging exercise to the elbow flexors.

Purpose: Long-distance running induces marked increases in inflammation and muscle damage. Tart cherries (TC) have become a popular nutritional strategy for exercise recovery, particularly for attenuation of markers associated with muscle damage and inflammation. Research question. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a yet-to-be-explored cultivar (Vistula) of TC on recovery following a marathon. Methods: Thirty-five recreationally trained marathon runners (mean ± SD age, stature, and mass were 40 ± 10 years old, 176.5 ± 10.2 cm, and 78.8 ± 13.8 kg, respectively) completed an undulating marathon course. Participants were randomised to receive either freeze-dried TC powder or calorie-matched placebo (17 TC, 18 placebo) for 7 days, with the marathon on day 5 of supplementation. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVC), counter movement jumps (CMJ), muscle soreness (DOMS), plasma creatine kinase (CK), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were assessed before, immediately after, and at 24- and 48-h post marathon. Results: There were significant changes over time for all variables ( p < 0.001) indicating muscle damage. There were no treatment or interaction effects for MVC, CMJ, DOMS, and CK ( p > 0.2). However, there was a treatment effect for hs-CRP, where the TC group experienced lower levels of hs-CRP (mean ± SD during recovery: TC 7.9 ± 3.5, placebo 12.5 ± 5.1 mg/L, p = 0.031). Conclusions: The marathon caused changes in muscle damage and inflammation indices. Despite no functional or soreness differences, the TC group showed lower inflammation levels, offering insights into Vistula tart cherries for recovery.

This study determined that males and females differ in the physiological response to high-intensity interval exercise. Specifically, females had poorer ventilatory efficiency during the first half of the task, but greater knee-extensor fatigue resistance following the task. These data build upon previous observations from constant-load exercise, demonstrating that physiological sex differences are observed during an ecologically valid exercise task commonly prescribed by practitioners in clinical and athletic populations.

Evidence suggests that tart cherry (TC) supplementation has beneficial effects on health indices and recovery following strenuous exercise. However, little is known about the mechanisms and how TC might modulate the human metabolome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of an acute high- and low-dose of Vistula TC supplementation on the metabolomic profile in humans. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over design, 12 healthy participants (nine male and three female; mean ± SD age, stature, and mass were 29 ± 7 years old, 1.75 ± 0.1 m, and 77.3 ± 10.5 kg, respectively) visited the laboratory on three separate occasions (high dose; HI, low dose; LO, or placebo), separated by at least seven days. After an overnight fast, a baseline venous blood sample was taken, followed by consumption of a standardised breakfast and dose conditions (HI, LO, or placebo). Subsequent blood draws were taken 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 h post consumption. Following sample preparation, an untargeted metabolomics approach was adopted, and the extracts analysed by LCMS/MS. When all time points were collated, a principal component analysis showed a significant difference between the conditions (p < 0.05), such that the placebo trial had homogeneity, and HI showed greater heterogeneity. In a sub-group analysis, cyanidine-3-O-glucoside (C3G), cyanidine-3-O-rutinoside (C3R), and vanillic acid (VA) were detected in plasma and showed significant differences (p < 0.05) following acute consumption of Vistula TC, compared to the placebo group. These results provide evidence that phenolics are bioavailable in plasma and induce shifts in the metabolome following acute Vistula TC consumption. These data could be used to inform future intervention studies where changes in physiological outcomes could be influenced by metabolomic shifts following acute supplementation.

Human movement involves a dynamic interplay of isometric, concentric, and eccentric muscle actions. There is a need to understand the contribution of the reticulospinal tract (RST) to human movement control during different muscle actions. This research aimed to determine the excitability of the RST during isometric, concentric, and eccentric muscle actions. Fourteen neurologically intact participants (age: 26 ± 7 years; sex: 3 female, 11 male; stature: 176 ± 8 cm; mass: 78.5 ± 10.9 kg) performed isometric, concentric, and eccentric muscle actions with the right biceps brachii. Participants performed a submaximal contraction at 25% of their isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) during all muscle actions. Neurophysiological electrical stimulations to indirectly measure RST excitability consisted of conditioned (startling auditory stimulus of ≥ 110 dB) and unconditioned (no auditory stimulus) cervicomedullary motor evoked potentials (CMEPs). Larger conditioned CMEP responses compared with unconditioned CMEPs were observed for all muscle actions (p = 0.008). However, no differences in RST excitability, inferred from the difference between conditioned and unconditioned CMEP responses, were observed across the three muscle actions (p = 0.319). These results suggest that across isometric, concentric, and eccentric muscle actions, there are no differences in RST excitability while performing a submaximal contraction at 25% of their isometric MVC. It could therefore be inferred from this that RST input to motoneurons is not different between isometric, concentric, and eccentric muscle actions of the biceps brachii at a relatively low fixed absolute contraction intensity.