Chokeberry supplements and heart health markers in adults
What it found
In 10 trials with 666 adults, chokeberry supplements made no clear difference to weight, blood sugar, cholesterol or blood pressure.
The authors rate the evidence as very low certainty.
What they found
Studies in people
Weight and waist
Chokeberry supplements made no clear difference to body weight, body mass index or waist circumference. The evidence was rated very low certainty.
Blood sugar
Overall, chokeberry supplements made no clear difference to fasting blood glucose. In people aged 50 or under, one analysis suggested a rise in fasting glucose, but this was based on few studies.
Cholesterol
Chokeberry supplements made no clear difference to total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol or triglycerides overall. In people whose total cholesterol was already below 200 mg/dL, one analysis suggested a reduction in total and LDL cholesterol.
Blood pressure
Chokeberry supplements made no clear difference to systolic or diastolic blood pressure overall. When the supplements provided more than 50 mg of anthocyanins a day, one analysis suggested a drop in systolic blood pressure.
Other findings
Certainty of evidence
The authors rated the certainty of evidence as very low for all heart and metabolic markers. Many trials had unclear or high risk of bias, and the analyses suggested the evidence was not conclusive.
What the authors conclude
“Chokeberry supplementation did not significantly improve cardiometabolic outcomes in the general adult population.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that chokeberry supplementation did not significantly improve cardiometabolic outcomes in the general adult population.
- They note that limited evidence suggests possible lipid-lowering and blood pressure effects in specific subgroups, but a high risk of bias accompanies these results.
- They call for more robust randomised controlled trials with standardised interventions and dietary assessments.
How it was done
Chokeberry is rich in plant compounds called polyphenols, and small studies in people have suggested it might help heart and metabolic health, but the results have been inconsistent.
The authors pooled 10 randomised controlled trials of chokeberry supplements lasting at least 2 weeks in 666 adults, some healthy and some with heart or metabolic risk factors. The trials used extracts, powders or juices, with widely varying amounts of anthocyanins.
What it can’t tell you
- The evidence is rated very low certainty, so it cannot show whether chokeberry supplements have any real effect on heart or metabolic health.
- The trials used different forms and doses of chokeberry, and many did not properly track what else people ate, so the results may be confounded.
- This review cannot show what would happen with fresh chokeberries or over the long term, because no trial used fresh fruit and most lasted only a few weeks.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Technische Universität Berlin, Germany; "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania; "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania
The paper
- Title
- Impact of a Chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Critical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Frumuzachi O, Mocan A, Rohn S, Gavrilaș L (2025). Impact of a Chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott) Supplementation on Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Critical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu17091488Free full textPubMed 40362797DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error