Supplement

Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherry juice is a juice from sour cherries that is rich in anthocyanins, plant pigments with anti-inflammatory effects in the body. Most people look at it for gout, but the evidence is very limited: a small trial of 50 people found no clear difference in gout symptoms or in HbA1c. Those results come from a single small study, so they cannot say much either way, and the same kind of no-clear-difference finding appeared in tiny studies on blood glucose and aerobic exercise.

Sources: PMID 31891407

Updated 30 September 2026
How we grade
4 studies cited

Best evidence: Grade D
Conditions studied: 7
Outcomes: 54
Graded outcomes: 0008

Evidence by condition

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

7 conditions

Gout

Gout: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Gout Symptoms No effect		NoneNo effect	1 study	50 people
Studies that measured gout symptoms Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology · PMID 31891407
	HbA1c No effect		NoneNo effect		50 people
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	50 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282

Hyperuricemia

Hyperuricemia: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Gout Symptoms No effect		NoneNo effect	1 study	50 people
Studies that measured gout symptoms Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology · PMID 31891407
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	50 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
	HbA1c	Improves (the measure goes down)			50 people

Obesity

Blood glucose
Uric Acid: improves
Blood Pressure: improves

Obesity: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood glucose No effect		NoneNo effect		26 people
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	26 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
	Blood Pressure	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Body Fat	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Heart Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	Improves (the measure goes up)			26 people
	Insulin	Changes; see studies			26 people
	Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1	Improves (the measure goes up)			26 people
	Total cholesterol	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Triglycerides	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	vLDL-C	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people

Aerobic Exercise Performance

Aerobic Exercise Metrics
Nitric Oxide: improves
Anaerobic Capacity: improves

Aerobic Exercise Performance: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Aerobic Exercise Metrics No effect		NoneNo effect		10 people
	Nitric Oxide	Improves (the measure goes up)		1 study	10 people
Studies that measured nitric oxide Effects of montmorency tart cherry (L. Prunus Cerasus) consumption on nitric oxide biomarkers and exercise performance.Scand J Med Sci Sports · PMID 29566443
	Anaerobic Capacity	Improves (the measure goes up)			10 people
	Blood Lactate (Exercise)	Changes; see studies			10 people
	Oxygen Uptake	Improves (the measure goes up)			10 people
	Power Output	Improves (the measure goes up)			10 people
	Vascular Function	Improves (the measure goes up)			10 people

General Gut Health

Blood glucose
Uric Acid: improves
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate: improves

General Gut Health: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood glucose No effect		NoneNo effect		58 people
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	58 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			58 people
	Insulin	Changes; see studies			58 people
	Microbiome	Improves (the measure goes up)			58 people
	TNF-Alpha	Improves (the measure goes down)			58 people

Metabolic Health

Blood glucose
Uric Acid: improves
C-Reactive Protein (CRP): improves

Metabolic Health: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood glucose No effect		NoneNo effect		58 people
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	58 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	Improves (the measure goes down)			58 people
	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			58 people
	Insulin	Changes; see studies			58 people
	Microbiome	Improves (the measure goes up)			58 people
	TNF-Alpha	Improves (the measure goes down)			58 people

Overweight

Blood glucose
Uric Acid: improves
Blood Pressure: improves

Overweight: outcomes studied for Tart Cherry Juice
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Blood glucose No effect		NoneNo effect		26 people
	Uric Acid	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	26 people
Studies that measured uric acid Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275 Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
	Blood Pressure	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Body Fat	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	C-Reactive Protein (CRP)	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Heart Rate	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	Improves (the measure goes up)			26 people
	Insulin	Changes; see studies			26 people
	Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1	Improves (the measure goes up)			26 people
	Total cholesterol	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	Triglycerides	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people
	vLDL-C	Improves (the measure goes down)			26 people

What the published studies found

1 automated reading

Automated reading of the published studies (Decosa evidence engine), for outcomes Dr. Grey has not graded yet. It is not a Dr. Grey grade and does not change one. How it is read

Sleep quality
The studies read are too weak to tell whether Tart Cherry Juice changes sleep quality. The strongest review read studied elderly patients with insomnia. The evidence is very weak.
5 studies counted of 8 read: 1 review and 4 trials (91 people in the trials).
1. Systematic review, 2020; 53 studies, 6,832 people; elderly patients with insomnia: unclear: evidence too weak to tell (the review the verdict rests on). Efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of all available treatments for insomnia in the elderly: a systematic review and network meta-analysisPubMed 32521042
2. Randomised trial, 2026; 44 people; healthy adults: no clear difference. no significant differences in sleep time or quality Montmorency tart cherry supplementation does not impact sleep, body composition, cellular health, or blood pressure in healthy adultsPubMed 35790450
3. Randomised trial, 2022; 19 people; elite female field hockey players: mixed results. significant interaction effects with regards to the total time in bed Effects of Short-Term Intake of Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice on Sleep Quality after Intermittent Exercise in Elite Female Field Hockey Players: A Randomized Controlled TrialPubMed 36011907
4. Crossover trial, 2018; 8 people; elderly adults with insomnia: improves. increased sleep time by 84 minutes on polysomnography Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of MechanismsPubMed 28901958
5. Crossover trial, 2012; 20 people; healthy adults: improves. significant increases in time in bed, total sleep time and sleep efficiency total Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep qualityPubMed 22038497
Automated reading of the published studies (Decosa evidence engine), run 30 Sep 2026. It reads abstracts, can miss studies, and a repeat run can differ.

Key findings

Gout SymptomsGout
HbA1cGout
Blood glucoseObesity

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Third-party tested Tart Cherry Juice products. The evidence above is limited, so read it before you buy.

Grade D

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Studies cited

4 studies from PubMed

Consumption of 100% Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Serum Urate in Overweight and Obese AdultsCurr Dev Nutr · PMID 31037275
Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with goutRheumatology · PMID 31891407
Thirty Days of Montmorency Tart Cherry Supplementation Has No Effect on Gut Microbiome Composition, Inflammation, or Glycemic Control in Healthy AdultsFront Nutr · PMID 34604282
Effects of montmorency tart cherry (L. Prunus Cerasus) consumption on nitric oxide biomarkers and exercise performance.Scand J Med Sci Sports · PMID 29566443