Cherry intake and health effects in human studies
What it found
In 29 human studies, eating cherries or cherry products was linked to lower markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, less exercise-induced muscle soreness and strength loss, and lower blood pressure.
Some studies also found benefits for arthritis, diabetes, blood lipids, sleep and cognitive function.
What they found
Studies in people
Oxidative stress
Out of 10 human studies, 8 found that cherry consumption decreased markers of oxidative stress or increased antioxidant capacity. Two studies found no change.
Inflammation
Out of 16 human studies, 11 found that cherry consumption decreased markers of inflammation. Four found no change and one found an increase in some markers.
Exercise recovery
In 8 out of 9 human studies, cherry consumption reduced exercise-induced muscle pain, soreness and loss of strength. One study in water polo athletes found no difference from placebo.
Blood pressure
Out of 7 human studies, 5 found that cherry consumption lowered blood pressure. The effect depended on dose and timing after eating or drinking cherries.
Arthritis and gout
In 5 out of 5 human studies, cherry consumption was linked to improvements in arthritis or gout. A study of 633 gout patients found a 35% lower risk of gout attacks over 2 days with cherry intake.
Diabetes and blood lipids
In diabetic women, tart cherry juice decreased hemoglobin A1C. In obese participants, it decreased VLDL and the triglycerides/HDL ratio. In healthy adults, cherries did not change blood glucose, insulin or blood lipids.
Sleep and mood
In 4 out of 4 human studies, cherry consumption improved sleep quality and quantity. Sweet cherries also decreased urinary cortisol and anxiety and improved mood.
Studies in people and animals
Cognitive function
Some human studies found no change in cognitive function after cherry consumption. Animal and cell studies suggest cherries may improve memory, but human evidence is limited.
What the authors conclude
“Evidence from published reports is reasonably strong to indicate that consumption of cherries decreased markers for oxidative stress, inflammation, exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength, and blood pressure acutely after ingesting cherries.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that evidence is reasonably strong that cherry consumption decreases markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength, and blood pressure acutely after ingesting cherries.
- They state that limited numbers of published reports also indicate beneficial effects of consuming cherries on arthritis, diabetes, blood lipids, sleep, cognitive functions, and possibly mood.
- They advise that additional studies are needed to support these claims and that stable, standardized cherry products and polyphenol-free placebos are needed.
How it was done
Cherries are rich in polyphenols and vitamin C, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The authors wanted to summarise results from human studies on the health benefits of sweet and tart cherries and products made from them.
They searched PubMed and Google Scholar for published human studies on cherries or cherry products. They found 29 studies: 20 used tart cherries, 7 used sweet cherries, and 2 did not specify. Studies lasted from 5 hours to 3 months and served the equivalent of 45 to 270 cherries per day (anthocyanins 55 to 720 mg per day).
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the studies were small or did not include a control group, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- The studies used different types of cherries, doses, and durations, which may explain some of the inconsistent findings.
- Most studies were short, lasting less than 2 weeks, so the long-term effects of eating cherries are not known.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- US Department of Agriculture, USA; University of California, USA
The paper
- Title
- A Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Kelley DS, Adkins Y, Laugero KD (2018). A Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu10030368Free full textPubMed 29562604DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error