Anthocyanins, gut bacteria and long-term disease risk
What it found
In lab tests, animals and people, anthocyanins changed the mix of gut bacteria and the substances those bacteria make.
The authors say this may help explain links to obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease and other long-term conditions.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar control
In people, 150 g mixed berry puree delayed the blood sugar rise after a sucrose load, and a blackcurrant extract reduced post-meal insulin and incretins after a high-carbohydrate meal. An 8-week bilberry intervention lowered fasting glucose, which tracked with higher levels of a bacterial breakdown product called hippuric acid.
Animal and lab studies
Short chain fatty acids
Fermenting anthocyanins by gut bacteria produced short chain fatty acids, mainly lactic acid, acetate, propionate and butyric acid. These acids lower the pH in the colon and help block pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.
Obesity and fat metabolism
In high-fat fed mice, purple sweet potato anthocyanins reduced weight gain and liver fat. In obese rats, cherry and mulberry anthocyanins for 8 weeks reduced weight gain and leptin, and raised adiponectin.
Studies in people and animals
Gut bacteria changes
Across lab tests, animal studies and human trials, anthocyanins and their breakdown products increased helpful bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and reduced harmful groups such as C. histolyticum. In healthy men, a six-week blueberry powder drink raised Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.
Heart and blood clotting
In a 28-day trial, 200 mL plum juice reduced platelet clumping and a clotting marker in healthy volunteers, and lengthened clotting time by 2.1 seconds. In lab tests, gallic acid reduced platelet clumping.
Inflammation and gut barrier
In people with metabolic syndrome, 400 g fresh bilberry daily for 12 weeks lowered several inflammatory markers. In rats, jussara anthocyanins during pregnancy and nursing reduced inflammatory markers in the offspring and raised a gut barrier protein.
What the authors conclude
“There is a consensus from in vitro, animal and human studies that anthocyanins and their metabolites are able to modulate gut microbiota.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say there is agreement from lab, animal and human studies that anthocyanins and their metabolites can change the gut bacteria.
- They say anthocyanins are likely to boost helpful bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Akkermansia, which benefit health by making short chain fatty acids or by competing with harmful strains.
- They call for future clinical research in different groups of people, differing in age and physiological stage, to better understand how anthocyanins change gut bacteria and health.
How it was done
The authors say the majority of dietary anthocyanins are not absorbed and reach the large intestine, where they interact with gut bacteria. They wanted to look at the gut bacteria as the link that may carry anthocyanins' effects on long-term diseases.
They pulled together findings from lab tests, animal studies and human trials on how anthocyanins are digested, broken down by gut bacteria, and how this affects health. Human studies included healthy men given 25 g blueberry powder drink for six weeks, people given red wine for 20 days, and women given blueberries for six weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the findings come from lab tests and animals, so they cannot show what happens in people.
- The human studies are small and short, and the authors note that individual differences in age, sex and medical treatment make it hard to draw one clear conclusion.
- The review pulls together different types of studies, so it cannot prove that anthocyanins cause any of the health effects seen.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Melbourne, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Anthocyanins-gut microbiota-health axis: A review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Liang A, Leonard W, Beasley JT, Fang Z, Zhang P, Ranadheera CS (2024). Anthocyanins-gut microbiota-health axis: A review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. doi:10.1080/10408398.2023.2187212Free full textPubMed 36927343DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error