Curcumin and Tart Cherry for Recovery Strategies

Curcumin
 Quickly clears blood serum due to poor bioavailability of most oral forms of curcumin. 1,2
 For purposes of reducing delayed onset muscle soreness and general “recovery”, best
dosing strategy is two hours prior to training and immediately after training daily.
o Blood serum concentration of curcumin is negligible ~8 hours after high oral
doses. No real advantages to pre-loading doses by administering it on non-
training days.
 1 (one) LifeExtension Super BioCurcumin capsule two hours prior to
training and 1 (one) immediately after.

Tart Cherry
 Shown to be beneficial for reducing blood inflammation markers of inflammation
(Interleuken-6).3
o Most effective dosing strategies involved 2x/day dosing of 1 (one) capsule per
dose, beginning 3-4 days before competition and continuing 1-2 days after.
 Tart cherry juice has also been shown to be useful in promoting sleep hygiene in elite
soccer athletes and general population subjects.4,5
o Significantly raises melatonin levels. Positively improves time in bed, total sleep
time and sleep efficiency.5
 One of two daily doses can be more nocturnal to promote relaxation,
improve sleep-based recovery and work to successfully adapt circadian
rhythm.

Literature
1. Prasad S, Tyagi AK, & Aggarwal BB. Recent Developments in Delivery, Bioavailability,
Absorption and Metabolism of Curcumin: the Golden Pigment from Golden
Spice. Cancer Research and Treatment : Official Journal of Korean Cancer Association.
2014;46(1):2-18. doi:10.4143/crt.2014.46.1.2.
2. Epstein J, Sanderson IR, & Macdonald TT. Curcumin as a therapeutic agent: the evidence
from in vitro, animal, and human studies. British Journal of Nutrition.
2010;103(11):1545-1557.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114509993667
3. Vitale K, Hueglin S, & Broad E. Tart Cherry Juice in Athletes: A Literature Review and
Commentary. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2017;16(4):230-240.
4. Nedelec M, Halson S, Delecroix B, Abaidia AE, Ahmaidi S, & Dupont G. Sleep Hygiene and
Recovery Strategies in Elite Soccer Players. Sports Med. 2015;45(11):1547-59. doi:
10.1007/s40279-015-0377-9.
5. Howatson G, Bell PG, Tallent J, Middleton B, McHugh MP, & Ellis J. Effect of tart cherry juice
(Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. Eur J Nutr.
2012;51(8):909-16. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7