Use, Practices and Attitudes of Elite and Sub-Elite Athletes towards Tart Cherry Supplementation

Abstract

Tart cherry (TC) supplementation can improve exercise recovery and performance; and may also improve sleep duration and quality. This study investigated the use and knowledge of TC supplementation by athletes of all competitive levels. Eighty participants (52.5% elite (international, national, professional), 47.5% sub-elite (semi-professional, state/regional, county level, club level, recreational)) completed an online questionnaire investigating their attitudes towards and use of TC supplementation. Overall, 22.6% of participants were using or had previously used TC supplements, and 12.5% of participants planned to used TC supplements. Improved recovery (71.4%), sleep (32.1%) and immunity and general health (32.1%) were the most frequently indicated goals by respondents using TC supplements. In total, 32.1% of respondents were supplemented with TC chronically, 39.3% acutely and 28.6% used a combination of chronic and acute supplementation. The majority of those employing TC supplementation chronically used TC either over 2–3 days (37.0%) or continuously (37.0%). The most popular TC pre- and post-loading period was one day (34.3% and 41.5%, respectively). There were no significant differences between elite and sub-elite athletes in any parameters assessed (p > 0.05). TC supplementation is not widely used by the athletes surveyed, and athletes using TC supplements showed poor awareness of an evidence-led dosing strategy, regardless of competitive level.

Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use among Athletes Worldwide: A Scoping Review

“…Studies were mostly conducted in Spain (31%) and the United States of America (27%) [ 15 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Some studies investigated supplement use in more than one country [ 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The twenty-six studies included a total of 17,342 participants.…”

“…The majority of the studies included adult athletes, some included under 18 athletes [ 20 , 24 , 25 , 28 , 32 , 34 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], and none included older-adult athletes. Most studies included athletes from several sport categories [ 6 , 15 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 40 ], while others focused on one type of sport such as running [ 23 , 24 ], bodybuilding [ 41 , 42 ], football [ 32 , 35 ], rowing [ 26 ], sailing [ 25 ], rugby [ 30 ], fencing [ 28 ], handball [ 29 ], squash [ 33 ], and track and field [ 39 ]. Interestingly, one study focused on paralympic sports [ 34 ].…”

“…All studies used self-reported questionnaires or surveys to collect data on dietary supplement use among athletes. Some studies have provided their questionnaire or survey in an online format [ 24 , 27 , 29 , 32 , 37 , 40 , 41 ]. However, the selected reporting timeframe varied across studies ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…Prevalence ranged from 11% [ 37 ] to 100% [ 15 , 26 , 33 ]. The use of dietary supplements among athletes was relatively high in the majority of the studies, but this can vary based on the breadth of the definition of a dietary supplement, reporting timeframe (i.e., past month vs. past year), data collection method and format, and definition of dietary supplement use ( Table 1 ).…”

A combination of cherry juice and cold water immersion does not enhance marathon recovery compared to either treatment in isolation: A randomized placebo-controlled trial

“…It is unknown whether the effects of CJ vary in the same way. Thus far, no dosedependent relationship has been reported (Gao and Chilibeck, 2020;Wangdi et al, 2021) yet doses in the literature vary from the equivalent of 45-270 cherries/day (Kelley et al, 2018). Therefore, optimal CJ benefits could require a dosage per kilogram of body mass in the same way daily protein requirements do.…”