For some time now, the effectiveness of sour cherry juice has been studied for pain relief from various origins - from gout and joint pain associated with arthritis to muscle pain caused by physical exertion.

A small recent study by scientists from the University of Northumbria (UK) and published in the journal Journal of Functional Foods has shown that the consumption of sour cherries from Montmorency changes the metabolism of uric acid in the body, which can relieve joint pain. The study also found an increase in the level of specific anthocyanins, especially CYA-3-O-GluRut, in the serum after drinking sour cherry juice.

In a simple, blind, randomized, two-phase cross-sectional study, the bioavailability of anthocyanins after drinking 2 different doses of cherry juice was studied. The project involved 12 healthy volunteers (average age 26 years old). During the study, 2 doses of cherry juice were studied - study participants took two ounces of Montmorency cherry juice in a 1 ounce (~ 30 ml) dose of juice concentrate for two days in the morning and before dinner (mixed with 100 ml of water, which is equivalent to drinking 90 cherries) or 2 ounces (~ 60 ml) of the juice concentrate was also mixed with 100 ml of water. Between the 2 phases of the study, there was a 10-day washing period. Blood and urine samples from study participants were taken immediately before and for 48 hours after drinking cherry juice, and the samples were taken several times.

Consumption of cherry juice has been shown to decrease levels of uric acid and reactive protein C in blood serum, and excretion of uric acid in urine increases after drinking each dose of cherry juice. It should be noted that this effect does not depend on the dose of cherry juice taken, i.e. 30 ml of juice has the same effect as 60 ml.

A high level of uric acid leads to the development of gout (gouty arthritis), which is manifested by severe pain and inflammation of various joints (the joint of the big toe, other joints of the hands and feet), which is associated with the deposition of uric acid salts in them.

According to the authors of the publication, additional studies are needed to confirm the results. However, this study demonstrates the beneficial properties of sour cherries for the prevention and relief of joint pain in gout.