The effects of Montmorency tart cherry juice supplementation and FATMAX exercise on fat oxidation rates and cardio-metabolic markers in healthy humans

Abstract

Montmorency tart cherries (Prunus cerasus L.) are rich in anthocyanins, compounds capable of augmenting fat oxidation and regulating metabolic dysfunction. The present study examined whether Montmorency tart cherry juice (MTCJ) supplementation could augment fat oxidation rates at rest and during FATMAX exercise, thus improve cardio-metabolic health. Eleven, healthy participants consumed MTCJ or placebo (PLA) twice daily, in a randomised, counterbalanced order for 20 days. Participants cycled at FATMAX for 1-h pre-, mid- (10 days) and post-supplementation whilst substrate oxidation rates were measured. Before exercise anthropometrics and resting metabolic rate were measured. Blood pressure, serum triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, total antioxidant status (TAS) and glucose were measured immediately before and after exercise. No significant differences between conditions or interactions were observed for any functional and blood-based cardio-metabolic markers or fat oxidation during exercise or rest (P > 0.05). Pre-exercise TAS (P = 0.036) and HDL (P = 0.001) were significantly reduced from mid- to post-supplementation with MTCJ only. Twenty days' MTCJ supplementation had no effect on fat oxidation; therefore, it is unnecessary for individuals in this participant cohort to consume MTCJ with exercise to improve cardio-metabolic biomarkers.

Effects of chronic consumption of specific fruit (berries, citrus and cherries) on CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

“…Forty-five studies were included in this systematic review, of which 18 were crossover randomised controlled trials (RCT) [27,[33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49], and 27 were parallel RCTs [26,28, (see Table 3). The sample size of both experimental and control group in the interventions ranged from 5 to 63.…”

Tart Cherry Increases Lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans by Altering Metabolic Signaling Pathways

“…Moreover, cranberry [8,13,25], mulberry [26], and blueberry anthocyanins increase lifespan of C. elegans and Drosophila via different pathways [17,27,28]. Out of these, Montmorency tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) contains high concentration of anthocyanin flavonoids, and its consumption is known to provide numerous health benefits by reducing inflammation and production of ROS [29,30] as well as protecting against diabetes [31], cardiovascular diseases [32], muscle pain [33], and cancer [34].…”

Effects of Montmorency tart cherry supplementation on cardio-metabolic markers in metabolic syndrome participants: A pilot study

“…Subsequently, Montmorency Tart Cherry Capsules (MTCC) will be provided to assess whether encapsulation, and thus protection of MTC anthocyanins from premature degradation, potentially maximises bioavailability and therefore their beneficial effects on cardio-metabolic function. Furthermore, the high sugar content in polyphenol-rich juices (Vendrame et al, 2016), including MTCJ (Desai, Bottoms, & Roberts, 2018), are purported to nullify and mask some of the beneficial cardio-metabolic effects induced by the polyphenols. Thus, MTCC, with a significantly lower sugar content, may be more efficacious at improving cardio-metabolic markers compared to MTCJ.…”