Tart Cherry Juice

Evidence for effects of polyphenol supplementation on oxidative stress and functional recovery in soccer players was limited, heterogeneous, and of very low certainty per GRADE.

Tart cherry juice, beetroot juice, and curcumin showed beneficial trends for reducing muscle soreness in adult male soccer players.

A systematic review of 8 RCTs evaluated polyphenol supplementation versus placebo on post-exercise recovery in adult male soccer players, with risk of bias assessed using RoB 2 and certainty graded using GRADE; certainty was low for most outcomes.

Polyphenol supplementation (particularly tart cherry juice, beetroot juice, and curcumin) showed beneficial trends for reducing muscle soreness and improving subjective well-being in adult male soccer players.

Polyphenol supplementation showed inconsistent effects on biomarkers of muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress in adult male soccer players, with most studies reporting no significant differences versus placebo.