Does tart cherry juice reduce inflammation and arthritis pain?

It lowers one blood marker of inflammation a little, and it has not been shown to ease arthritis pain. A GRADE-assessed meta-analysis of 21 randomized trials found tart cherry products lowered serum CRP by 0.39 mg/L (95% CI 0.05 to 0.74) on moderate-certainty evidence, while high-sensitivity CRP and IL-6 did not change. The trials mixed healthy adults, athletes and people with gout, osteoarthritis or overweight. In the one sizeable pain trial, 58 people with knee osteoarthritis drank two 8 oz bottles a day for 6 weeks, and the gain in pain and function scores was not significantly different from placebo (P = 0.16).

Established. Tart cherry lowers CRP slightly in pooled randomized trials. Two meta-analyses agree on the direction, with falls of 0.39 and 0.55 mg/L, and both found IL-6 unchanged.

Unsettled. Tart cherry juice has not been shown to ease arthritis pain. In the one sizeable trial, pain scores improved during the juice period (P below 0.01), but the difference from placebo did not reach significance, and that comparison is the one that counts.

What the trials found

One marker moves, the others mostly do not

The 21-trial meta-analysis searched to May 2022 and used juice, concentrate or capsules at doses from 4.4 to 20 fl oz (130 to 596 ml) of juice equivalent. Serum CRP fell by 0.39 mg/L. High-sensitivity CRP fell by 0.14 mg/L, with an interval running from -0.34 to 0.07, and IL-6 did not move at all. A fall in TNF-alpha rested on very low certainty evidence and disappeared when one study was removed.

Across trials, higher doses went with larger falls. Each extra 2 tbsp (30 ml) a day tracked a CRP 0.19 mg/L lower, and each extra 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) tracked 0.64 mg/L lower (P = 0.035). That relation is drawn between studies that used different products, so it describes the pattern across the literature and says less about what more juice would do for one person.

A separate 2022 meta-analysis of 10 trials outside exercise found CRP lower by 0.55 mg/L (95% CI 0.06 to 1.03), with no significant effect on IL-6 or TNF-alpha. Its abstract carries no certainty rating, and it overlaps heavily with the larger analysis.

Single trials disagree with each other

In 47 healthy adults aged 30 to 50, 2 tbsp (30 ml) of concentrate diluted to 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) every day for six weeks had no effect on CRP (P = 0.220) in an open-label trial. In 10 adults with overweight or obesity, 8.1 fl oz (240 ml) of juice a day for 4 weeks left hsCRP and IL-6 unchanged, while ESR, MCP-1 and TNF-alpha came out lower than on placebo. ESR rose by 19 percent on the placebo, a sweetened drink, so part of the gap may come from the placebo rather than the juice. In 49 adults over 70 with mild to moderate dementia, 6.8 fl oz (200 ml) of cherry juice a day for 12 weeks did not change CRP or IL-6. In 34 adults with overweight or obesity and sleep problems, 500 mg tart cherry capsules for 14 days changed none of the measures, inflammation included.

The largest single effect came from 10 healthy adults taking 500 mg of tart cherry extract daily for 4 weeks. CRP fell by 23 percent against placebo, which was 1.36 mg/L in absolute terms, and a single dose did nothing. That is an extract powder in ten people, and the effect is several times larger than the pooled estimates.

Inflammation after hard exercise

A 2021 meta-analysis of 14 studies around strenuous exercise found small effects on CRP (effect size -0.46, 95% CI -0.93 to -0.00) and IL-6 (-0.35, 95% CI -0.68 to -0.02), alongside slightly less muscle soreness. This is the short spike of inflammation that follows a hard session, a different thing from the long-running inflammation of arthritis, and the results are reported as standardized effect sizes without clinical units.

Arthritis pain

The knee trial recruited non-diabetic people with moderate osteoarthritis, Kellgren grade 2 to 3, and crossed them over between a proprietary tart cherry juice blend and placebo with a one-week washout. Paracetamol was allowed as rescue medicine. hsCRP fell on juice against placebo (P below 0.01), and the pain and function score difference between treatments did not reach significance (P = 0.16). A 2019 systematic review of food phytochemicals in osteoarthritis found only five randomized trials in total, tart cherry juice among them, and judged the evidence insufficient because the studies were few and differed too much to pool.

Gout

A 2026 meta-analysis of 4 randomized trials in 392 participants found tart cherry lowered serum uric acid only modestly (standardized mean difference -0.22, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.01), with substantial heterogeneity. Uric acid is a stand-in for attacks, not attacks themselves. The one dose-finding trial in 50 people with gout gave placebo or concentrate at up to 2 tbsp (30 ml) twice a day for 28 days and found no significant effect on serum urate or on flare frequency (P = 0.76), though 28 days is short for counting flares.

Unsettled. The gout signal rests on observational data. In a case-crossover study of 633 people with gout followed online for a year, eating cherries in the previous 2 days went with 35 percent lower odds of an attack (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.85). Intake was self-reported, the result is an odds ratio rather than a risk, and it covers fresh cherries and extract, not necessarily juice. The one randomized trial that counted flares found no difference.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. Tart cherry juice is a sugary drink. USDA analysis of 8 samples of shelf-stable juice from concentrate found about 3.8 g fructose and 7.0 g glucose per 3.5 oz (100 g), and the knee arthritis trial used two 8 oz bottles a day. In the gout trial, one of 24 adverse events, a case of high blood sugar, was judged possibly related to the concentrate. The knee trial excluded people with diabetes, so it tells us nothing about how that dose affects them.

Potassium is the second thing to watch. The same USDA samples had about 170 mg potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g), ranging from 119 to 226 mg. If you have kidney disease or have been told to limit potassium, two glasses a day is a question for the person treating you.

In one small capsule trial, 25 adults with mildly high uric acid took concentrated tart cherry powder for a week and reported no more side effects than on placebo. That trial used powder in capsules, so it says nothing about the sugar in juice, and it excluded pregnant women. We found no trial in pregnancy or in children, and no record of interactions with gout or arthritis medicines in the interaction database we searched.

What expert bodies say

The American College of Rheumatology gout guideline of 2020 reviewed cherries and cherry extract and made no recommendation either way. Its panel judged the evidence, mostly observational, to be of low or very low certainty. The European Union has refused to authorize the claim that tart cherries help support healthy joints. A refusal means the evidence did not meet the bar when it was assessed, which is a different statement from evidence of no effect.

If you like the drink, the honest expectation is a small dip in one blood marker and no measured change in joint pain. More on the juice itself, its sugar and its potassium, is on the tart cherry juice page.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A large placebo-controlled trial with arthritis pain as the main outcome. The only sizeable one had 58 people, and no such trial was active on ClinicalTrials.gov on 6 October 2026.
• A trial in gout long enough to count flares. Twenty-eight days is too short, and the case-crossover signal is observational.
• A placebo that matches the juice for sugar. Several trials used sweetened control drinks, and that makes small differences in inflammation markers hard to read.
• Trials in people with diabetes or kidney disease, who are most likely to be drinking this for joint pain and most exposed to its sugar and potassium.

Sources

1. ev-tcji-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs with GRADE · n = 21 RCTs (10 to 56 participants each)
   Tart cherry consumption has no significant impact on hs-CRP (WMD: - 0.14 mg/l; 95% CI: - 0.34, 0.07; P = 0.200; I 2 = 0.0%) and IL-6 (WMD: - 0.0 pg/ml; 95% CI: - 0.13, 0.12; P = 0.952; I 2 = 0.0%) respectively (Supplementary Fig. 1).
   
   Who: randomized controlled trials of tart cherry juice, concentrate or capsules in healthy adults, athletes and people with gout, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome or overweight; doses 4.4 to 20 fl oz (130 to 596 ml) juice equivalent
   Effect: serum CRP WMD -0.39 mg/L (95% CI -0.74 to -0.05; I2 10.7%); hs-CRP WMD -0.14 mg/L (95% CI -0.34 to 0.07); IL-6 WMD 0.0 pg/ml (95% CI -0.13 to 0.12)
   Certainty: The pooled effect is small (-0.39 mg/L); TNF-α -0.14 pg/mL with very low certainty and disappears when one study is removed. Search up to May 2022.
   Heliyon, 2023, Dose-dependent effect of tart cherry on blood pressure and selected inflammation biomarkers: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the fulltext
2. ev-tcji-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 21 RCTs
   Linear dose-response analysis shows that with each 5-, 20-, 30-, and 100-ml elevation in TC consumption, serum CRP significantly (P = 0.035) reduces by 0.03, 0.13, 0.19, and 0.64 mg/l, respectively (Fig. 3a–d).
   
   Who: 21 randomized trials of tart cherry products, doses 4.4 to 20 fl oz (130 to 596 ml) juice
   Effect: CRP -0.03, -0.13, -0.19 and -0.64 mg/L per 5, 20, 2 and 3.4 tbsp (30 and 100 ml) increase (P = 0.035)
   Certainty: Dose dependence between studies, not within them; forms (juice, concentrate, capsules) are mixed.
   Heliyon, 2023, Dose-dependent effect of tart cherry on blood pressure and selected inflammation biomarkers: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the fulltext
3. ev-tcji-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 10 RCTs
   The results demonstrated that TC had a significant decreasing effect on plasma CRP level compared with the comparison group (weighted mean differences (WMD) = -0.55 mg/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): - 1.03, - 0.06; p = 0.029), but had no significant effect on plasma IL-6 compared with comparison group (WMD = 0.08 pg/mL; 95% CI: -0.02, 0.17; p = 0.10).
   
   Who: adult participants in non-exercise randomized clinical trials of tart cherry, searched to May 2022
   Effect: CRP WMD -0.55 mg/L (95% CI -1.03 to -0.06); IL-6 WMD 0.08 pg/mL (95% CI -0.02 to 0.17); TNF-alpha no effect in 3 studies
   Certainty: Overlaps with ev-tcji-01 in the set of studies; there is no certainty assessment in the abstract.
   Complement Ther Med, 2022 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
4. ev-tcji-04 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial · n = 58
   WOMAC scores decreased significantly (P < 0.01) after the cherry juice treatment but not after the placebo treatment (P = 0.46); differences between treatments were not significant (P = 0.16).
   
   Who: non-diabetic patients with Kellgren grade 2-3 knee osteoarthritis, two 8 oz bottles of tart cherry juice or placebo daily for 6 weeks, 1-week washout
   Effect: WOMAC improved after cherry juice (P < 0.01) and not after placebo (P = 0.46), between-treatment difference not significant (P = 0.16); hsCRP declined vs placebo (P < 0.01)
   Certainty: The main RCT on arthritis pain; the difference from placebo is not significant. Proprietary juice blend; acetaminophen was allowed as rescue medication.
   Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 2013, Randomized double-blind crossover study of the efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
5. ev-tcji-05 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · open-label randomized placebo-controlled trial · n = 47
   There was no effect of the intervention on arterial stiffness (P = 0.218), c-reactive protein (P = 0.220), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.163), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.121), total cholesterol (P = 0.342) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.127).
   
   Who: healthy adults aged 30-50 years, 2 tbsp (30 ml) cherry concentrate diluted to 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) or energy-matched control drink daily for six weeks
   Effect: no effect on c-reactive protein (P = 0.220) or arterial stiffness (P = 0.218); FRAP antioxidant capacity higher (P = 0.012)
   Certainty: Open design; healthy people with low baseline inflammation.
   Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
6. ev-tcji-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized placebo-controlled crossover pilot trial · n = 10
   Mean baseline hsCRP, an indicator of acute inflammation, was 7.0 ± 5.2 mg L-1 and consumption of TCJ did not affect hsCRP levels.
   
   Who: at-risk adults with BMI over 25 (5 obese, 5 overweight), 8.1 fl oz (240 mL) 100% tart cherry juice or placebo beverage daily for 4 weeks each, 2-week washout
   Effect: ESR significantly lower with juice (p < 0.05; placebo raised ESR by 19%); hsCRP unchanged from baseline 7.0 mg/L; IL-6 and IL-10 not different
   Certainty: 10 people; the placebo was a sweetened drink, so the difference may be partly due to the sugar in the placebo.
   Food Funct, 2018 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
7. ev-tcji-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized controlled trial · n = 49
   Markers of inflammation (CRP and IL-6) were not altered.
   
   Who: older adults (70+ years) with mild-to-moderate dementia, 200 ml/day cherry juice or low-anthocyanin control juice for 12 weeks
   Effect: CRP and IL-6 not altered at 6 and 12 weeks
   Certainty: Inflammation is a secondary endpoint; the cherry variety is not named as tart in the abstract, but it is an anthocyanin cherry juice.
   Eur J Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
8. ev-tcji-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial · n = 10
   Chronic supplementation significantly reduced CRP by 23.0% (- 1.36 ± 0.44 mg/L) and urate by 37.4% (-2.62 ± 0.44 mg/dL) compared to placebo (both p &lt; 0.001).
   
   Who: healthy subjects aged about 35, 500 mg European tart cherry extract powder or placebo for 4 weeks, 14-day washout
   Effect: CRP -23.0% (-1.36 ± 0.44 mg/L) and urate -37.4% vs placebo (both p < 0.001); acute dose no change
   Certainty: 10 people, extract, not juice; the effect is much larger than in meta-analyses: small sample.
   J Diet Suppl, 2026 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
9. ev-tcji-09 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis · n = 14 studies
   A small effect was observed for both C-reactive protein (ES = -0.46, 95% CI [-0.93, -0.00]) and Interleukin-6 (ES = -0.35, 95% CI [-0.68, -0.02].
   
   Who: studies of tart cherry supplementation around strenuous exercise, searched to July 2020
   Effect: CRP ES -0.46 (95% CI -0.93 to -0.00); IL-6 ES -0.35 (95% CI -0.68 to -0.02); muscle soreness ES -0.44 (95% CI -0.87 to -0.02)
   Certainty: Acute inflammation after exertion, not chronic; standardized effects without clinical units.
   Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2021 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
10. ev-tcji-10 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 4 RCTs, 8 comparisons, 392 participants
    Tart cherry intake was associated with a modest reduction in serum uric acid concentration compared with control (standardized mean difference -0.22; 95% confidence interval -0.43 to -0.01), with substantial heterogeneity.
    
    Who: randomized controlled trials comparing tart cherry intake with placebo or usual diet and reporting serum uric acid
    Effect: SMD -0.22 (95% CI -0.43 to -0.01)
    Certainty: Four RCTs; urate is a surrogate, not gout attacks.
    Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
11. ev-tcji-11 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized placebo-controlled dose-finding trial · n = 50
    Cherry concentrate dose had no significant effect on reduction in SU area under the curve, urine urate excretion, change in urinary anthocyanin between day 0 and day 28, or frequency of gout flares over the 28-day study period (P = 0.76).
    
    Who: people with gout and serum urate above 0.36 mmol/l, half on allopurinol, placebo or 7.5, 15, 22.5 or 2 tbsp (30 ml) concentrate twice daily for 28 days
    Effect: no significant effect on serum urate area under the curve, urine urate excretion or gout flare frequency (P = 0.76)
    Certainty: 28 days: too short for seizures; small groups per dose.
    Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020, Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with gout · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
12. ev-tcji-12 · Observational data · case-crossover study · n = 633
    Cherry intake over a 2-day period was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attacks compared with no intake (multivariate OR 0.65 [95% CI 0.50-0.85]).
    
    Who: individuals with gout prospectively recruited and followed up online for 1 year, cherry intake in 2-day hazard vs control periods
    Effect: OR 0.65 (95% CI 0.50-0.85) for cherry intake; cherry extract OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.30-0.98)
    Certainty: Observational data, self-report; OR, not risk; fresh cherries and extract, not necessarily juice.
    Arthritis Rheum, 2012 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
13. ev-tcji-13 · Position of an expert body · clinical practice guideline (GRADE)
    The Voting Panel reviewed the data for cherries/cherry extract and dairy protein. The certainty of evidence drawn mainly from observational studies was low or very low, precluding specific recommendations on these topics.
    
    Who: patients with gout
    Effect: no recommendation for or against cherries or cherry extract
    Certainty: Authority position without its own analysis of cherries specifically; PMID 32391934 is outside the corpus.
    Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2020, 2020 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Gout · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the section
14. ev-tcji-14 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · systematic review of RCTs and observational studies without meta-analysis · n = 5 RCTs and 4 cross-sectional studies
    The heterogeneity among the studies suggests that there is insufficient evidence related to phytochemical intake from foods.
    
    Who: adult human studies on dietary phytochemicals from foods and osteoarthritis, searched to May 2018
    Effect: no pooled estimate; evidence judged insufficient
    Certainty: Review of mixed design without meta-analysis, hence B; cherry is only part.
    Maturitas, 2019 · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
15. ev-tcji-15 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized placebo-controlled dose-finding trial · n = 50
    There were 24 reported adverse events, with only one (hyperglycaemia) considered possibly to be related to cherry concentrate.
    
    Who: people with gout taking placebo or up to 2 tbsp (30 ml) tart cherry concentrate twice daily for 28 days
    Effect: 24 adverse events, 1 (hyperglycemia) possibly related to cherry concentrate
    Certainty: A single case; but consistent with the concentrate being sugar, and Schumacher 2013 excluded people with diabetes.
    Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020, Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with gout · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the abstract
16. ev-tcji-16 · Position of an expert body · dataset · n = 8
    Juice, tart cherry, from concentrate, shelf-stable | Fructose 3.808 g per 100 g (range 3.01-4.51, n=8) | Glucose 6.969 g per 100 g (range 6.21-7.46, n=8) | Potassium 169.8 mg per 100 g (range 119.0-226.0, n=8)
    
    Who: US retail samples of tart cherry juice from concentrate, shelf-stable
    Effect: fructose 3.808 g/100 g (range 3.01-4.51); glucose 6.969 g/100 g (range 6.21-7.46); potassium 169.8 mg/100 g (range 119-226)
    Certainty: The per-serving recalculation is ours: two glasses of 8.1 fl oz (240 mL) ≈ 50 g of sugars and ≈ 800 mg of potassium: important with diabetes and with potassium restriction (kidney disease).
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods (release 2026-04-30), FDC 2727589, Juice, tart cherry, from concentrate, shelf-stable · checked 2026-10-06 · we read the dataset
17. tcj-daily-r7-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover trial · n = 34
    A total of 34 individuals with sleep issues and overweight or obesity (BMI: 32.1 ± 7.0 kg/m2) were recruited to this randomized controlled, crossover study. MTC capsules (500 mg) or a placebo were taken one hour before bed for 14 days. ... No significant effects of MTC supplementation were observed for any of the measures of interest (p > 0.05 for all).
    
    Who: 34 adults with BMI 25 or more and sleep issues, 14 days
    Effect: no significant effect on any outcome (p > 0.05)
    Certainty: powder capsules, not juice; the authors suppose the dose is too small for people with obesity
    Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the abstract
18. tcj-daily-r7-12 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial · n = 25
    Table S9 displays a Chi-square analysis of self-reported symptom frequency and severity ratings observed following acute and one-week supplementation. No differences were observed between the treatments regarding the self-reported frequency or severity of side effects.
    
    Who: 25 adults aged 30-60 with fasting uric acid 5.5-8.0 mg/dL, 1 week
    Effect: no difference in frequency or severity of self-reported side effects
    Certainty: powder in capsules, not juice (the sugar and sorbitol of juice not assessed here); pregnant women excluded; small sample
    Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the fulltext
19. tcj-daily-r7-14 · Position of an expert body · regulatory register · n = —
    POL-HC-6908 Cherries (Prunus cerasus), including Montmorency, Balaton or other sour/tart cherry varieties [Tart/sour] cherries help support healthy joints Non-authorised
    
    Who: EU claim assessment
    Effect: non-authorized
    Certainty: concerns gout and joints; Non-authorized does not mean a demonstrated absence of effect
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6908, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29 · we read the dataset