These powerful compounds may help prevent CVD and cancer and boost cognitive function.
Many dietitians are well aware of the benefits fruits and vegetables provide, but few may know the actual names and types of the disease-fighting compounds they contain that are so important for good health.
Anthocyanins, a particular group of compounds, are one of the more than 6,000 members of the flavonoid family of polyphenol phytochemicals found in various plant foods. In addition to anthocyanins, the flavonoid group includes flavanols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, and isoflavones. Anthocyanin pigments have been used in folk medicine for generations, but only recently the specific pharmacological properties of these compounds have been isolated and studied.
There are many aspects to anthocyanins’ role in the body that remain a mystery, such as bioactivity, uptake, absorption, bioavailability, and distribution in the tissues. But laboratory research as well as studies in animals and humans have suggested that anthocyanins may play important roles in helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cognitive decline, and cancer. The role of anthocyanins in the prevention of these diseases has been linked to their antioxidant properties, but research now suggests that anthocyanins’ health benefits likely result from unidentified chemical properties beyond their antioxidant capacity.
Read the full article at Today’s Dietitian…
From the March 2014 issue, Vol. 16 No. 3 P. 20; written by Densie Webb, PhD, RD. Reprinted with permission.
