Did you know that the pigment which makes most of the purple-, blue- and red-coloured fruits and vegetables is due almost entirely anthocyanins? This anthyocyanin is a phytonutrient which is a powerful plant-based compound. These chemical compounds contain antioxidants which protect your body from excess free radical damage. On top of this important role as an antioxidant, anthocyanins may offer other benefits to your health including:
- Decreasing Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a hormone which allows the sugar to be taken from your blood into your cells. For those with type two diabetes your body has an impaired response to insulin and leads to sugar building up in your blood. A study of people with type two diabetes found that those who included an anthocyanin supplement had lower insulin resistance compared to those who were not given the supplement. This meant that these individuals required less supplemental insulin to control blood sugar levels.
- Promoting Heart Health
Anthocyanins help to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in your body. This is a cause of many chronic disease states, one being heart disease.
Anthocyanins may help promote heart health by increasing your ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and decreasing your ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. On top of this, it may help reduce the amount of cholesterol your body absorbs and as a result, reducing your total cholesterol levels!
- Optimising Brain Function
By including anthocyanins in your diet, you may help to delay mental aging by up to 2.5 years!
Dementia can be a debilitating condition and anthocyanins may help in promoting quality of life in the elderly with mild to moderate dementia. It was found that when cherry juice was included in the diet short- and long-term memory as well as verbal fluency was improved.
Foods which you can add to your shopping list for this week which include anthocyanins include:
- Plums
- Cranberries
- Blackberries
- Blackcurrants
- Cherries
- Red cabbage
- Purple potatoes
- Pomegranates
If you think beetroot has been left of this list this is one vegetable which unfortunately does not thank its beautiful colour due to anthocyanins but betalanins. These provide your body with different health benefits.
Take home message: Including a varied diet which includes selecting different coloured fruits and vegetables will help protect your body in many ways. Anthocyanins are a good reason to enjoy the red-, purple-, and blue-coloured fruits and vegetables in your chosen variety.
References:
- Yao SL, Xu Y, Zhang YY, Lu YH. Black rice and anthocyanins induce inhibition of cholesterol absorption in vitro. Food Funct. 2013 Nov;4(11):1602-8. doi: 10.1039/c3fo60196j. PMID: 24056583.
- Cassidy, A., Bertoia, M., Chiuve, S., Flint, A., Forman, J., & Rimm, E. B. (2016). Habitual intake of anthocyanins and flavanones and risk of cardiovascular disease in men. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 104(3), 587–594. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.133132
- Devore EE, Kang JH, Breteler MM, Grodstein F. Dietary intakes of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline. Ann Neurol. 2012 Jul;72(1):135-43. doi: 10.1002/ana.23594. Epub 2012 Apr 26. PMID: 22535616; PMCID: PMC3582325.
- Wallace, T. C., Slavin, M., & Frankenfeld, C. L. (2016). Systematic Review of Anthocyanins and Markers of Cardiovascular Disease. Nutrients, 8(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010032
- Kent K, Charlton K, Roodenrys S, Batterham M, Potter J, Traynor V, Gilbert H, Morgan O, Richards R. Consumption of anthocyanin-rich cherry juice for 12 weeks improves memory and cognition in older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia. Eur J Nutr. 2017 Feb;56(1):333-341. doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-1083-y. Epub 2015 Oct 19. PMID: 26482148.
- Li D, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Sun R, Xia M. Purified anthocyanin supplementation reduces dyslipidemia, enhances antioxidant capacity, and prevents insulin resistance in diabetic patients. J Nutr. 2015 Apr;145(4):742-8. doi: 10.3945/jn.114.205674. Epub 2015 Feb 4. PMID: 25833778.
