Anthocyanins, gut bacteria and chronic disease risk
What it found
Anthocyanins from colorful fruits and vegetables change the mix of gut bacteria in people, animals and lab tests.
These shifts are linked to lower markers for obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Gut bacteria changes
In human trials, eating blueberries or drinking red wine raised levels of helpful gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium. Lab tests and animal studies showed similar increases, along with drops in harmful bacteria.
Obesity markers
In mice fed a high-fat diet, purple sweet potato anthocyanins reduced weight gain and liver fat. In people with metabolic issues, eating bilberries daily for 12 weeks lowered inflammation markers but did not change body weight.
Blood sugar control
People who ate mixed berry puree had a slower rise in blood sugar after a sugary drink. In diabetic rats and lab-grown cells, anthocyanins and their breakdown products improved how cells responded to insulin.
Heart disease markers
Healthy volunteers who drank plum juice for 28 days showed less platelet clumping and longer clotting times. Lab tests found that gallic acid, a breakdown product, also reduced platelet clumping.
Other findings
Digestion and absorption
Only about 5% of anthocyanins are taken in through the small intestine. Most travel to the colon where gut bacteria break them into smaller compounds like phenolic acids, which then enter the body.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest that gut bacteria act as a middleman between eating anthocyanins and seeing health benefits.
- They advise future clinical research to look at different groups of people, including men and women of various ages.
- They call for more work to find the right amounts of anthocyanins needed to help control blood sugar.
How it was done
Most anthocyanins pass through the stomach without being taken in and reach the large intestine instead. The authors wanted to see how gut bacteria break them down and whether that process helps prevent chronic diseases.
The authors gathered and summarized existing research on anthocyanins, gut bacteria and health. They looked at studies done in people, animals, cells and test tubes. They focused on conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
What it can’t tell you
- Because this is a summary of many different studies, it cannot prove that anthocyanins directly cause these health changes in people.
- Results seen in mice, rats and lab dishes do not always happen the same way in the human body.
- The amount of anthocyanins used in some animal studies may be much higher than what a person would normally eat.
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 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error