Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that belong to the phenolic group and are found in all tissues of higher plants, including leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits. They are responsible for the red, purple, blue, or black color of many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, raspberries, black rice, and black soybean, among others. Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid, a family of powerful antioxidants that fight the effects of aging and oxidative stress. They are odorless and moderately astringent. Anthocyanins are derived from anthocyanidins by adding sugars. There are six main types of anthocyanins: cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, and petunidin.
Anthocyanins have many potential health benefits, including reducing inflammation and protecting against conditions like cancer, Alzheimers disease, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. They may act in many ways to slow or stop cancer, such as blocking the changes in DNA that cause cancer, destroying cancer cells or stopping their growth, preventing tumors from becoming malignant, and reversing drug resistance and increasing tumors sensitivity to chemotherapy. However, there is no clear evidence supporting the use of anthocyanin supplements.
Foods containing anthocyanins have been used in natural remedies for generations, and studies increasingly support their purported health benefits. Red, blue, and purple produce is generally the richest in anthocyanins, and raw, ripe varieties tend to have the highest amounts due to variability in this. Some of the foods that contain the most anthocyanins per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) include mulberries, black chokeberries, black elderberries, black currants, and sweet cherries.
