Dedicated athletes of many stripes often rely on “vitamin I”-ibuprofen. (The other OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen, may be nearly as popular but lacks a snappy moniker.) We have heard through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail, hard-hitting martial artists and tenacious tennis buffs refer to ibuprofen in these terms, and of course many runners also consider ibuprofen essential for post-workout soreness.
There is a better option. Studies show that tart cherries excel in helping prevent sore muscles and sniffles after a race.
Q. I once thought I would get ahead of the ‘pain game’ before I ran a marathon. I took about 1200 mg of Advil before the race. Big, big mistake!
I made it through the race, but the finish was horrible. As I tried to recover, I felt like I wanted to die. My whole body was in great distress.
Fifteen minutes after I finished I threw up everything I had eaten or drunk for the last ten miles of the race – and then came the shaking. For thirty minutes I shivered, shook and rattled. Then it stopped and I felt human again.
My peers told me later that they sometimes take about 600 mg after mile 20, then as they finish, it kicks in and helps with the muscle discomfort.
A. Many athletes rely on ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin IB) or naproxen (Aleve) before or after intense exercise. But such drugs may actually have little benefit for athletes and might even be counterproductive (British Journal of Sports Medicine, Aug. 2007).
Tart Cherries Excel for Athletic Pursuits:
British investigators found that if marathon runners drank tart cherry juice every day for five days before a race, on the day of the race and two days afterwards, they had less inflammation than runners drinking placebo juice. (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, May 11, 2015). Cherry-juice drinkers were less likely to suffer post-race sniffles; presumably they also experienced less pain.
We have written much more about the health benefits of tart cherries in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. In it, you can find out why tart cherries excel for a range of different health problems.
