Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials

Cherries are well known to be a rich source of (poly)phenols, especially anthocyanins, with exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this review is to describe the effects of cherry extract observed in clinical trials and the respective tolerability indications, highlightin...

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Main Authors: Alessandro Colletti, Giancarlo Cravotto, Atanasio De Meo, Marzia Pellizzato, Enzo Luigi Riccardi, Marco Marchetti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Nutraceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1661-3821/5/2/12
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author Alessandro Colletti
Giancarlo Cravotto
Atanasio De Meo
Marzia Pellizzato
Enzo Luigi Riccardi
Marco Marchetti
author_facet Alessandro Colletti
Giancarlo Cravotto
Atanasio De Meo
Marzia Pellizzato
Enzo Luigi Riccardi
Marco Marchetti
author_sort Alessandro Colletti
collection DOAJ
description Cherries are well known to be a rich source of (poly)phenols, especially anthocyanins, with exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this review is to describe the effects of cherry extract observed in clinical trials and the respective tolerability indications, highlighting the differences in efficacy depending on the type of extract, cherry, formulation, and dosage used. In particular, the supplementation of standardized tart cherry extracts has been shown to improve different markers of human health, exercise performance, and quality of sleep. Most clinical studies conducted to date have reported the total (poly)phenol and anthocyanin doses administered that were contained in cherry extracts, which ranged from 143 to 2140 mg/day and 15 to 547 mg/day, respectively, as well as the duration of treatments, which ranged from acute supplementation to 84 days. Although cherry extracts are currently prescribed as dietary supplements in several areas of medicine, further investigations of the mechanisms of action and long-term randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are required in order to validate the efficacy and safety of clinical applications. In addition, a real challenge for the next few years is the standardization of cherry’s (poly)phenolic fractions. In this context, the optimization of the extraction procedure and downstream processing represents a key point in reliable active guiding principles for the formulation of food supplements. In fact, due to the different extraction methods of cherries, the relative efficacy is closely related to the specific (poly)phenol profile obtained, which cannot be extrapolated from the literature. Future research should include an analysis reporting the total (poly)phenol content and the specific analytical methods used to quantify total and individual anthocyanin contents.
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spelling doaj-art-92fd569a693144ebbf329dc5b16888282025-08-20T02:21:52ZengMDPI AGNutraceuticals1661-38212025-04-01521210.3390/nutraceuticals5020012Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical TrialsAlessandro Colletti0Giancarlo Cravotto1Atanasio De Meo2Marzia Pellizzato3Enzo Luigi Riccardi4Marco Marchetti5Department of Science and Drug Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Science and Drug Technology, University of Turin, 10125 Turin, ItalyPharmacist, Viale Ofanto 188/C, 71122 Foggia, ItalyItalian Society of Nutraceutical Formulators (SIFNut), 31033 Treviso, ItalyDr. Enzo Riccardi Pharmacy, Via Aldo Moro 21, 00019 Tivoli, ItalySchool of Specialization in Food Science, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, ItalyCherries are well known to be a rich source of (poly)phenols, especially anthocyanins, with exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this review is to describe the effects of cherry extract observed in clinical trials and the respective tolerability indications, highlighting the differences in efficacy depending on the type of extract, cherry, formulation, and dosage used. In particular, the supplementation of standardized tart cherry extracts has been shown to improve different markers of human health, exercise performance, and quality of sleep. Most clinical studies conducted to date have reported the total (poly)phenol and anthocyanin doses administered that were contained in cherry extracts, which ranged from 143 to 2140 mg/day and 15 to 547 mg/day, respectively, as well as the duration of treatments, which ranged from acute supplementation to 84 days. Although cherry extracts are currently prescribed as dietary supplements in several areas of medicine, further investigations of the mechanisms of action and long-term randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are required in order to validate the efficacy and safety of clinical applications. In addition, a real challenge for the next few years is the standardization of cherry’s (poly)phenolic fractions. In this context, the optimization of the extraction procedure and downstream processing represents a key point in reliable active guiding principles for the formulation of food supplements. In fact, due to the different extraction methods of cherries, the relative efficacy is closely related to the specific (poly)phenol profile obtained, which cannot be extrapolated from the literature. Future research should include an analysis reporting the total (poly)phenol content and the specific analytical methods used to quantify total and individual anthocyanin contents.https://www.mdpi.com/1661-3821/5/2/12tart cherryanthocyaninsnutraceuticalexercise recoverycardiovascular preventiondietary supplement
spellingShingle Alessandro Colletti
Giancarlo Cravotto
Atanasio De Meo
Marzia Pellizzato
Enzo Luigi Riccardi
Marco Marchetti
Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
Nutraceuticals
tart cherry
anthocyanins
nutraceutical
exercise recovery
cardiovascular prevention
dietary supplement
title Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
title_full Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
title_fullStr Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
title_full_unstemmed Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
title_short Health Benefits of (Poly)phenols from Cherries: A Review of Clinical Trials
title_sort health benefits of poly phenols from cherries a review of clinical trials
topic tart cherry
anthocyanins
nutraceutical
exercise recovery
cardiovascular prevention
dietary supplement
url https://www.mdpi.com/1661-3821/5/2/12
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