Montmorency cherries, otherwise known as sour cherries or Montmorency Tart Cherries, have become increasingly popular both in nutritional science and in the general public for its surprising health benefits. In fact, after scientific research reported that sour cherries help with muscle recovery after exercise,  professional athletes started drinking Montmorency cherry juice for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Helping to aid their recovery after intense fitness sessions and help support their recovery after injuries. Nowadays, numerous elite athletes from a number of fields, including football, cycling and basketball have been known to include Montmorency Cherry products into their diets. And you don’t have to just trust their word for it, a recent meta-analysis of 14 different studies concluded that supplementation with Montmorency Cherry products, whether that’s by powder, tablets or juice, significantly improves the recovery of muscles after exercise and reduces muscles soreness as well.

What makes Montmorency Cherries so great?

If you want to find out if they’re really worth the hype, then keep reading to learn more about this nutritious superfood:

Anti-inflammatory Properties: Montmorency cherries are a rich source of powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, which give cherries their deep, rich colour, and are known for their strong anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain potent phytonutrients which help to maintain health joint function, mobility and flexibility. 

Supports Muscles: As mentioned above, sour cherries have been found to improve muscle recovery and reduce muscle soreness after strenuous activity. Some studies have also found that Montmorency cherries can help improve muscle strength and therefore physical performance. 

Nutritious: Sour cherries are not only good for muscle support and recovery, they are also packed with a number of vital vitamins and minerals that support healthy cardiovascular function, memory and other brain functions. 

Improves Sleep: Montmorency cherries are one of the few natural food sources of melatonin. Research has found that melatonin improves the onset, duration and quality of sleep, which can help reduce stress, balance moods and allows your body and muscles to fully rest and recover after exercise. 

Reduces Exercise-Related Illnesses: One study researched Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms (URTS) commonly experienced by marathon runners after a race, which are similar to that of the common cold including having a sore throat and runny nose. The study involved 20 recreational marathon runners who either consumed Montmorency cherry juice or a placebo before and after a race. No URTS were reported by the runners that had the Montmorency cherry juice, whereas 50% of those given the placebo developed URTS.

We love Montmorency cherry so much that we wanted to boost its nutritional health properties by combining it with another secret superfood - Beetroot.

Why are Beets so Great?  

 Beetroot is a highly nutritious root vegetable that revitalises your body. Recent research suggests that the nitrate found in beetroot can improve athletes' physical performance and may also improve your mental sharpness. When we ingest nitrates, nitric oxide is produced which helps our blood vessels to dilate. This can lead to a range of health benefits including: 

Supporting Heart Health: Beetroots can significantly reduce our blood pressure because they’re a rich source of nitrates. Nitric Oxide relaxes the muscles of our blood vessels causing them to widen. This reduces blood pressure, which can help reduce the risk of heart-related diseases. 

Improving Physical Performance: Dilated blood vessels caused by the production of Nitric Oxide also allows more oxygen to travel around the body, improving the performance of the mitochondria in the cells, which produce our energy. That’s why athletes often eat a lot of beetroot or use beetroot supplementation because it has been shown to improve athletic performance by beneficially affecting athletes’ cardiorespiratory endurance, caused by increased blood flow, as well as muscle strengthening, improved mitochondrian efficiency, gas exchange and more. 

Supporting Healthy Liver Function: Beetroot can help protect your liver from oxidative damage and inflammation. It also activates the liver’s enzymes and bile to help support body detoxification. When the liver is functioning properly, fats are broken down efficiently which can promote natural weight loss as well as prevent fatigue. 

Plus

Beetroots are Packed with Nutrients: they’re a rich source of potent antioxidants, like betanin - the pigment that gives beetroots their deep colour, and other essential nutrients. Including magnesium, manganese, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, soluble fibre, calcium, iron, and Vitamins A, B and C, folic acid and betaine.

The Naturality Lab’s CherryBeet Boost concentrated formula of 45000g per capsule is a superblend of Montmorency Cherry and Beetroot and is complemented with the addition of Vitamin B6, Black Pepper Powder & Turmeric (95% curcumin) to increase the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, energy-yielding metabolism, immunity, red blood cell formation, the nervous system, hormonal activity, protein, glycogen metabolism and more!

Sources: Hill J A, Keane K M, Quinlan R & Howatson G (2021) Tart Cherry Supplementation and Recovery From Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab.; Xie Z et al (2017) A review of sleep disorders and melatonin. Neurol Res.; Dimitriou L et al (2015) Influence of a montmorency cherry juice blend on indices of exercise-induced stress and upper respiratory tract symptoms following marathon running - a pilot investigation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition; Jones A M, Thompson C, Wylie L J & Vanhatalo A (2018) Dietary Nitrate and Physical Performance. Annu Rev Nutr.; Dominguez R et al (2017) Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Athletes. A Systematic Review. Nutrients;