Partner content: Cherry juice — osteoarthritis remedy?
Question: Can drinking tart cherry juice help with my knee pain due to osteoarthritis?
Answer: While tart cherry juice isn’t harmful, the research proof of its efficacy to reduce pain or inflammation due to arthritis just is not there.
There is a lot of marketing of this product based on some small studies sponsored by cherry marketing groups.
• A small study of 57 participants in 2019 made claims about the benefits of tart cherry juice was sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute. But when I read the results, it appears that while the tart cherry juice (TCJ) did confer some benefits for the first phase of the study, those did not continue for the full length of the study – but this was not mentioned in the conclusion. Source
• Here’s a summary from McGill Office of Science and Society:
“When consuming the tart cherry juice there was a decrease in blood markers for osteoarthritis but no decrease in pain compared to placebo…suggesting that tart cherry juice does not have any significant effect on osteoarthritis.” Source
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There are various treatments, physical therapy, exercises, medications (including over-the-counter medications), injections and surgery that can effectively help with knee pain due to osteoarthritis. Please talk to your health care provider who may refer you to physical therapy to help with mobility or an orthopedic surgeon for consultation.
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian
facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian
800-334-4936
