Anthocyanins and ulcerative colitis risk in UK Biobank
What it found
In 188,045 UK adults followed for about 9.7 years, those eating the most anthocyanins had a lower chance of developing inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis, but not Crohn's disease.
What they found
Studies in people
IBD and UC risk
People with the highest anthocyanin intake had a 24% lower risk of inflammatory bowel disease and a 35% lower risk of ulcerative colitis compared with those with the lowest intake. No link was found for Crohn's disease.
Recommended intake
Compared with people eating less than the recommended 50 mg per day, those eating more had a 16% lower risk of inflammatory bowel disease and a 24% lower risk of ulcerative colitis.
Genetic risk
The link between anthocyanins and ulcerative colitis was stronger in people with a high genetic risk for the disease. Those with high genetic risk and the lowest anthocyanin intake had a 263% higher risk of ulcerative colitis than those with low genetic risk and the highest intake.
Dose response
The drop in risk appeared to slow down at an intake of about 75 mg per day.
Types of anthocyanins
Five of six individual anthocyanin types were linked to lower risk of inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis, except pelargonidin. When all types were adjusted for each other, no single type remained significant.
Animal and lab studies
Possible mechanisms
Lab and animal studies suggest anthocyanins may reduce inflammation, act as antioxidants, and improve gut bacteria, but these mechanisms have not been confirmed in people.
What the authors conclude
“Our study found that anthocyanin intake was inversely associated with the risk of IBD and UC, but not with the risk of CD.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that anthocyanin intake is linked to a lower risk of inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis, but not Crohn's disease.
- They say that people with a high genetic risk for ulcerative colitis are more likely to benefit from eating more anthocyanins.
- They call for further interventional studies to confirm their findings and to help plan clinical trials on anthocyanin doses and suitable groups.
How it was done
Animal studies suggest anthocyanins may help gut health, but it was not known whether eating more anthocyanins could help prevent inflammatory bowel disease in people.
They followed 188,045 people without inflammatory bowel disease from the UK Biobank for an average of 9.7 years. Anthocyanin intake was estimated from 24-hour diet questionnaires, and cases of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were identified from national health records.
What it can’t tell you
- This was an observational study, so it cannot prove that anthocyanins cause the lower risk; other unmeasured factors could explain the link.
- The study cannot show whether eating more anthocyanins would prevent ulcerative colitis in people who do not already eat them.
- Most participants were older than 40 and white, so the results may not apply to other groups.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China; National Undergraduate Training Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China; Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China; Central South University, China
The paper
- Title
- Dietary Anthocyanin Intake, Genetic Risk, and Incident Ulcerative Colitis: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Sun S, Wang D, Dan L, et al (2024). Dietary Anthocyanin Intake, Genetic Risk, and Incident Ulcerative Colitis: A Prospective Cohort Study. Phytotherapy research. doi:10.1002/ptr.8341Free full textPubMed 39349990DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error