Cherry Juice: The New Supplement in Elite Football

In Liverpool's away 2-2 draw with Newcastle in the opening match, Florian Wirtz sat on the substitutes' bench after being substituted and took out a bottle of dark red liquid to drink. This was not a mysterious formula, but cherry juice—the latest must-have supplement in elite football.

From cycling events to Premier League benches

Cherry juice has already been used for several years in professional cycling and other endurance sports. After Tour de France stages, dark red stains on riders' jerseys are common, and bystanders cannot tell whether they came from crashes or from hastily consumed hydration drinks. As top-level football pursues marginal gains more than ever, cherry juice has also entered the Premier League. Sean Stens? of Newcastle, the Dutch youngster who faced Wirtz in midfield that day, is also a regular user. The vast majority of top clubs are using this supplement.

Targeting muscle inflammation: 'oxidative stress'

Simply put, cherry juice targets muscle inflammation caused by exercise, known as oxidative stress. This is essentially the tiny damage to athletes' muscle fibers caused by exercise, and it can have both positive and negative effects. On one hand, oxidative stress triggers the body's rebuilding process and the development of mitochondria in cells, thereby improving athletes' endurance capacity; on the other hand, it can cause muscle soreness and potentially affect performance—especially in sports that require rapid recovery, such as cyclists between Tour de France stages.

In 2010, researchers at Northumbria University found that a sour cherry variety called Montmorency had antioxidant properties because it contained high levels of polyphenols, especially a type called anthocyanins. In practical terms, consuming this type of cherry can reduce oxidative stress.

Recovery experiment involving 20 marathon runners

The Northumbria University team measured the recovery time of 20 marathon runners, with half drinking cherry juice and the other half drinking a placebo.