When
I think of foods that have “super” health-promoting properties, berries are on
my list of top ten favorites. Not only are they delicious, but bilberries,
black currants, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, elderberries,
raspberries, strawberries—in fact, every berry you can think of—offer an
enormous range of health benefits. What all of these berries have in common are
anthocyanins—the pigments that give them their rich deep red and purple
coloring
In
2010, a report in Nutrition Reviews evaluated studies on anthocyanins, and
concluded that berries (either fresh, juiced, or freeze-dried) and purified
anthocyanin extracts convey significant improvements in cardiovascular risk
factors including LDL oxidation, lipid peroxidation, total plasma antioxidant
capacity, dyslipidemia, and glucose metabolism.
According
to the report, both healthy subjects and people with existing metabolic risk
factors benefited from anthocyanins. Among other favorable actions,
anthocyanins increase endothelial nitric oxide formation, decrease oxidative stress,
and inhibit inflammation. In 2011, a study published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition showed that anthocyanins also help to normalize blood
pressure. Anthocyanins appear to help mitigate the effects ofangiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which causes arteries to constrict and
raises blood pressure.In a subsequent study reported in 2012, researchers found
that a higher intake of anthocyanins and flavones are inversely associated with
less arterial stiffness, central blood pressure, and atherosclerosis.
The
evidence continues to mount for the benefits of anthocyanins and other
flavonoid compounds. A 2013 review and analysis of studies reported that
dietary intake of six classes of flavonoids, namely flavonols, anthocyanidins,
proanthocyanidins, flavones, flavanones and flavan-3-ols, significantly
decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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