 The burning sensation during strenuous exercise may be related to the buildup of lactic acid in our muscles, but that's different than the delayed onset muscle soreness that occurs in the days following a bout of extreme physical activity, which is thought to be due to inflammation caused by muscle cell damage, little micro tears in the muscle. If it's inflammatory reaction, then might anti-inflammatory phytonutrients help? The bioflavonoids in citrus may help with the lactic acid buildup, but we may need to ramp it up to the anthocyanin flavonoids in berries to deal with the inflammation. We know, for example, that if you eat about 45 cherries a day, you can significantly reduce the levels of inflammatory markers, like C-reactive protein or bloodstream. Such anti-inflammatory effects may be beneficial for the management and prevention of inflammatory diseases, but what about reducing muscle soreness? Well, if you take some guys and make them flex their biceps against way too much weight over and over and over again, the next day the strength in their arms is way down, about a 30% drop, and man, are their arms sore. But if they're drinking some cherry juice, their arms end up hurting less, and they were able to better preserve their strength. Why not just feed them cherries instead of juice? Well, then you can't do a placebo group, since you can't really create a convincing fake cherry, but you can make fake cherry juice in the form of cherry Kool-Aid. This was the first study to examine the effect of the consumption of any cherry product on the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage, and cherries indeed seem to work. Follow-up studies show they also work on reducing muscle pain in long-distance runners, speeding recovery after a marathon, and optimizing recovery from exercise is really the holy grail of exercise science. A similar study found anti-inflammatory effects of eating blueberries. They took it a step further, actually, and paid athletes enough to take a muscle biopsy so the researchers could actually see what's happening to their muscles on a microscopic level. It's like this study showing massage can decrease inflammation. At first I was like, ooh, I wouldn't mind being part of that study, free relaxing massage, until I read the protocol. You got to rest a few minutes, and then the scalpels come out and slice out some muscle samples. No thanks. Bottom line, all sorts of new high-tech treatments for sore muscles from needle electrodes, ultrasound, hyperbaric oxygen, even whole-body vibration. Don't these ladies look happy? And, of course, there's drugs. There's always drugs. But, you know, with drugs there are side effects. So this cherry study, noted in an editorial comment, may provide more of a sensible and realistic treatment option for those suffering from sore and damaged muscles. You know, the scientific question of how to treat the damaged muscle, that's an important one, and these researchers should be applauded for finding a potential treatment that is not only practical, but one that can be enjoyed.