THE EFFECT OF CHERRY SUPPLEMENTATION ON EXERCISE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS

Cherries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Cherry supplementation on eccentric exercise induced inflammation, tissue damage, oxidative stress biomarkers, and delayed onset muscle soreness. Four males and ten females performed five sets of 10 maximal eccentric arm extensions on a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Placebo (P) and supplement (S) groups in a cross-over design ingested tablets for 16 days prior to and 3 days following exercise. Venous blood samples to measure creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin, protein carbonyls (PC), thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), and C-Reactive proteins (CRP) were obtained 16 and 1 day prior to exercise and 0, 2, 4, 24, 48, and 72 h post exercise. Data for limb volume, limb girth, arm hang angle, peak torque, peak work, punctuated tenderness gauge (objective pain), and visual analog scale (subjective pain) were collected 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h post exercise. Statistically significant declines (p ? 0.05) were observed for CRP, objective pain, and subjective pain. No significant differences were observed for protein carbonyls, creatine kinase, TBARS, peak torque loss, myoglobin, limb volume, limb girth, peak torque, and peak work. These findings suggest that CherryFlex® supplementation prior to and during eccentric exercise may have a protective effect on inflammation (CRP), range of motion, and perceived pain.