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Effects of short-term continuous Montmorency tart cherry juice supplementation in participants with metabolic syndrome

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Abstract

Purpose

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) augments the incidence of cardiovascular disease by two-fold and type II diabetes mellitus by five-fold. Montmorency tart cherries are rich in phytochemicals shown to improve biomarkers related to cardio-metabolic health in humans. This study aimed to examine cardio-metabolic responses after 7-days Montmorency tart cherry juice (MTCJ) supplementation and also acute on short-term supplementation responses to a single bolus, in humans with MetS.

Methods

In a randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 12 participants with MetS (50 ± 10 years; 6M/6F), consumed MTCJ or placebo (PLA) for 7 days. Blood-based and functional cardio-metabolic biomarkers were measured pre- and post-supplementation, and acute responses measured pre-bolus and up to 5 h post-bolus on the 7th day.

Results

24-h ambulatory systolic (P = 0.016), diastolic (P = 0.009) blood pressure and mean arterial pressure (P = 0.041) were significantly lower after 7-days MTCJ supplementation compared to PLA. Glucose (P = 0.038), total cholesterol (P = 0.036), LDL (P = 0.023) concentrations, total cholesterol:HDL ratio (P = 0.004) and respiratory exchange ratio values (P = 0.009) were significantly lower after 6-days MTCJ consumption compared to PLA.

Conclusions

This study revealed for the first time in humans that MTCJ significantly improved 24-h BP, fasting glucose, total cholesterol and total cholesterol:HDL ratio, and also lowered resting respiratory exchange ratio compared to a control group. Responses demonstrated clinically relevant improvements on aspects of cardio-metabolic function, emphasising the potential efficacy of MTCJ in preventing further cardio-metabolic dysregulation in participants with MetS. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03619941).

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Notes

  1. Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM); Angiotensin-I-converting Enzyme (ACE); Augmentation Index (AIx); AIx normalised to 75 beats min−1 (AIx at HR75); Augmentation Pressure (AP); Blood Pressure (BP); Carbohydrate (CHO); Cardiac Output (CO); Cardiovascular Disease (CVD); Coefficient of Variation (CV); Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP); Energy Expenditure (EE); Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c); HDL (High-density Lipoprotein); Heart Rate (HR); HOMA2-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance); HOMA2-β (Homeostatic Model Assessment of pancreatic β-cell function); HOMA2-%S (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Sensitivity); LDL (Low-density Lipoprotein); Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP); Metabolic Syndrome (MetS); Montmorency Tart Cherry (MTC); Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice (MTCJ); New Zealand Blackcurrant Powder (NZBP); Pulse Pressure (PP); Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA); Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR); Stroke Volume (SV); Subendocardial Viability Ratio (SEVR); Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP); Total cholesterol:HDL Ratio (TC:HDL); Total Peripheral Resistance (TPR); Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D).

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants for partaking in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Sports Science, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK

    Terun Desai, Michael Roberts & Lindsay Bottoms

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  1. Terun Desai
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  2. Michael Roberts
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  3. Lindsay Bottoms
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Contributions

Conceptualization, TD, LB and MR.; methodology, TD; formal analysis, TD; writing—original draft preparation, TD.; writing—review and editing, TD, LB and MR; supervision, LB and MR. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Terun Desai.

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Desai, T., Roberts, M. & Bottoms, L. Effects of short-term continuous Montmorency tart cherry juice supplementation in participants with metabolic syndrome. Eur J Nutr 60, 1587–1603 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02355-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02355-5

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