Tart Cherry

What studies found on tart cherry (juice, concentrate, extract)

Limited The largest placebo-controlled trial in people with gout (Stamp 2020, n=50) found no change in serum urate over 28 days at any dose, a 2026 meta-analysis of 4 trials (392 people) found a small pooled drop with high heterogeneity, and the flare data come from 1 observational case-crossover study (Zhang 2012, n=633).

Studied dose: Concentrate 15 to 60 mL a day (7.5 to 30 mL twice daily), juice 240 to 480 mL a day, extract or powder capsules 480 to 3,600 mg a day.

• Stamp LK 2020, Rheumatology (Oxford). Randomized placebo-controlled dose-finding trial, 50 people, 28 days. In people with gout, half of them on allopurinol, no dose of tart cherry concentrate changed serum urate, urine urate or flare frequency compared with placebo.
• Zhang Z 2026, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 392 people, Varied by trial. Pooled across 4 trials, tart cherry intake was associated with a small reduction in serum uric acid (standardized mean difference -0.22, 95% CI -0.43 to -0.01) with substantial heterogeneity, and the authors called the evidence limited.
• Zhang Y 2012, Arthritis Rheum. Case-crossover study (online cohort of people with gout), 633 people, 1 year of follow-up. Cherry intake in the prior 2 days was associated with 35% lower odds of a gout flare (OR 0.65) and cherry extract with 45% lower odds (OR 0.55), an observational association that does not show cause and effect.
• Singh JA 2020, J Clin Rheumatol. Randomized pilot feasibility trial, active comparator, no placebo, 84 people, 9 months. Compared with baseline, flares per month went from 0.36 to 0.22 on cherry extract and from 0.31 to 0.28 on diet change, in a feasibility trial with no placebo arm.
• Wang C 2023, Arthritis Res Ther. Randomized open-label controlled trial, 282 people, 12 weeks. In men with gout starting febuxostat, serum urate fell by a similar amount in all 3 groups, so the tart cherry mixture showed no extra urate change, while CRP and urine albumin were lower in the cherry group at week 12.
• Jäger R 2026, J Diet Suppl. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, 10 people, 4 weeks per arm. In 10 healthy adults, plasma urate was 37.4% lower after 4 weeks of 500 mg extract than after placebo, a single very small trial whose authors include staff of Increnovo LLC and Specnova LLC, supplement consulting and ingredient firms.
• Hillman AR 2021, Plant Foods Hum Nutr. Randomized placebo-controlled trial (6 arms), 48 people, 48 hours. Serum uric acid dropped for 2 to 24 hours after a dose, averaging 8%, and the drop was not maintained with continued intake.
• Gonzalez DE 2024, Nutrients. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial, 25 people, Acute dose plus 1 week. In adults with mildly high uric acid, tart cherry powder did not change the rise in uric acid after a high-purine meal, acutely or after 1 week.
• Lamb KL 2026, Nutr Health. Randomized open-label crossover trial with water control, 12 people, 24 hours. Tart cherry juice did not change serum or urine uric acid compared with water, and uric acid moved through the day after either drink.

Safety: Juices and concentrates carry fruit sugar, and Stamp 2020 recorded 1 case of high blood sugar possibly linked to concentrate (PMID 31891407). A 2019 case report describes acute kidney injury in a man with chronic kidney disease who took black cherry concentrate for a gout flare (PMID 30963415). Talk to your doctor before starting a supplement, especially if you take allopurinol, febuxostat or colchicine.