What kind of interaction is it?

Caution: an interaction that may reduce efficacy or raise side-effect risk and warrants monitoring.

Is this interaction backed by published research?

Yes. NutriStack lists 1 citation row for the Tart Cherry Extract + Vitamin C pair, each linking to PubMed by PMID where available. Full sourcing methodology at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/interactions.

Supplement × Supplement·a caution·Moderate evidence

Tart Cherry Extract + Vitamin C

Q: Can I take Tart Cherry Extract and Vitamin C together?

Possibly, but with caution. Tart Cherry Extract and Vitamin C have a documented caution-tier interaction. High-dose antioxidant supplementation around exercise can blunt some of the beneficial training adaptations to endurance and resistance exercise; stacking tart cherry polyphenols with high-dose vitamin C increases total antioxidant load.

Q: How does this affect a NutriStack Stack Score?

-5 to your Stack Score per scored caution row.

Caution Moderate evidence

High-dose antioxidant supplementation around exercise can blunt some of the beneficial training adaptations to endurance and resistance exercise; stacking tart cherry polyphenols with high-dose vitamin C increases total antioxidant load.

Supplement × Supplement

Open the interaction checker → Read the methodology

From the database

What the row says.

Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, and the recommendation.

Substances

Tart Cherry Extract and Vitamin C

Pair type

Caution

Evidence

Moderate

Source citations

Scope

Supplement × Supplement

Last verified

June 4, 2026

CautionModerate evidence

What is happening. High-dose antioxidant supplementation around exercise can blunt some of the beneficial training adaptations to endurance and resistance exercise; stacking tart cherry polyphenols with high-dose vitamin C increases total antioxidant load.

Mechanism. Exercise-induced reactive oxygen species act as signaling molecules that drive mitochondrial biogenesis and hypertrophy; large combined antioxidant doses can suppress this redox signaling and attenuate adaptation.

Recommendation. For athletes seeking long-term training adaptation, avoid routinely combining high-dose antioxidants around every workout; reserve the stack for competition recovery or congested fixture periods. Moderate dietary-level vitamin C is not a concern.

Stack Score

How it moves the number.

Effect on the composite score

If both Tart Cherry Extract and Vitamin C are in the same stack, this pair applies −5 to your Stack Score (per scored caution row).

The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are at /methodology/stack-score.

Sources

Sources, by evidence tier.

Every claim on this page is cited. PMIDs link straight to PubMed.

Reference material

1Merry TL, Ristow M. Do antioxidant supplements interfere with skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise training? The Journal of Physiology. 2016.Needs sourceNo link

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