Proteggente AR, Pannala AS, Paganga G, Van Buren L, Wagner E, Wiseman S, Van De Put F, Dacombe C, Rice-Evans CA The antioxidant activity of regularly consumed fruit and vegetables reflects their phenolic and vitamin C composition.

Free Radic Res — Lister CE, Wilson PE, Sutton KH, Morrison SC Understanding the health benefits of blackcurrants. Acta Hort — Schlesier K, Harwat M, Böhm V, Bitsch R Assessment of antioxidant activity by using different in vitro methods. Chaovanalikit A, Wrolstad RE Anthocyanin and polyphenolic composition of fresh and processed cherries.

J Food Sci — Google Scholar. Eid NM, Al-Awadi B, Vauzour D, Oruna-Concha MJ, Spencer JP Effect of cultivar type and ripening on the polyphenol content of date palm fruit. Delgado R, Martín P, del Álamo M, González M-R Changes in the phenolic composition of grape berries during ripening in relation to vineyard nitrogen and potassium fertilisation rates.

Liang Z, Sang M, Fan P, Wu B, Wang L, Duan W, Li S Changes of polyphenols, sugars, and organic acid in 5 Vitis genotypes during berry ripening. Holoton TA, Cornish EC Genetics and biochemistry of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Plant Cell — Tsuda T, Yamaguchi M, Honda C, Moriguchi T Expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes in the skin of peach and nectarine fruit.

J Am Soc Hortic Sci — Boss PK, Davies C, Robinson SP Analysis of the expression of anthocyanin pathway genes in developing Vitis vinifera L. cv Shiraz grape berries and the implications for pathway regulation.

Plant Physiol — Boss PK, Davies C, Robinson SP Expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway genes in red and white grapes. Honda CN, Kotoda M, Wada S, Kondo S, Kobayashi J, Soejima Z, Zhang T, Tsuda T, Moriguchi T Anthocyanin biosynthetic genes are coordinately expressed during red coloration in apple skin.

Plant Physiol Biochem — Kobayashi S, Ishimaru M, Ding CK, Yakushiji H, Goto N Comparison of UDP-glucose: flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase UFGT gene sequences between white grapes Vitis vinifera and their sports with red skin. Plant Sci — Kondo S, Hiraoka K, Kobayashi S, Honda C, Terahara N Changes in the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes during apple development.

J Jpn Soc Hortic Sci — Moyano E, Portero-Robles I, Medina-Escobar N, Valpuesta V, Munoz-Blanco J, Caballero JL A fruit-specific putative dihydroflavonol 4-reductase gene is differentially expressed in strawberry during the ripening process. Parker JL What makes a cherry red: an investigation into flavonoid pathway regulation in sweet cherry Prunus avium L.

Thesis, The University of Adelaide. Mori T, Sakurai M, Sakuta M Effects of conditioned medium on activities of PAL, CHS, DAHP synthase DS-Co and DS-Mn and anthocyanin production in suspension cultures of Fragaria ananassa. Davis G, Ananga A, Krastanova S, Sutton S, Ochieng JW, Leong S, Tsolova V Elevated gene expression in chalcone synthase enzyme suggests an increased production of flavonoids in skin and synchronized red cell cultures of North American native grape berries.

DNA Cell Biol — Download references. Food Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey. Food Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar.

Correspondence to Mehmet Karaaslan. Reprints and permissions. Karaaslan, M. et al. Synthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins in sour cherries during ripening in accordance with antioxidant capacity development and chalcone synthase expression.

Eur Food Res Technol , — Download citation. Received : 21 March Revised : 04 August Accepted : 08 August Published : 27 August Issue Date : February Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative.

Abstract Phytonutrient metabolism in sour cherries takes place during fruit ripening. Access this article Log in via an institution. References Kang SY, Seeram NP, Nair MG, Bourquin LD Tart cherry anthocyanins inhibit tumor development in Apc Min mice and reduce proliferation of human colon cancer cells.

Cancer Lett —19 Article CAS Google Scholar Wang H, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, Chang YC, Booren AM, Gray JI, Dewitt DL Antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of anthocyanins and their aglycon, cyanidin, from tart cherries. J Nat Prod — Article CAS Google Scholar Connolly DAJ, McHugh MP, Padilla-Zakour OL Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage.

Br J Sports Med — Article CAS Google Scholar Kuehl KS, Perrier ET, Elliot DL, Chesnutt JC Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr —17 Article Google Scholar Kelley DS, Rasooly R, Jacob RA, Kader AA, Mackey BE Consumption of bing sweet cherries lowers circulating concentrations of inflammation markers in healthy men and women. J Nutr — CAS Google Scholar Howatson G, Bell PG, Tallent J, Middleton B, McHugh MP, Ellis J Effect of tart cherry juice Prunus cerasus on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality.

Eur J Nutr — Article CAS Google Scholar Heller W, Hahlbrock K Highly purified flavanone synthase from parsley catalyzes the formation of naringenin chalcone.

Arch Biochem Biophys — Article CAS Google Scholar Jiang C, Kim SY, Suh D-Y Divergent evolution of the thiolase superfamily and chalcone synthase family. Likewise, the amount of eight anthocyanin monomers was significantly greater in NT than in HT.

High temperature also altered the concentrations of plant polysaccharides and hormones. The total soluble sugar content of NT and HT increased by Auxins, gibberellic acid and abscisic acid ABA increased in both regimens, but at a slower rate in HT.

In contrast, the levels of jasmonic acids and cis-zeatins decreased faster in HT than in NT. The correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the abscisic acid concentrations and the total anthocyanin concentrations, thus indicating that the presence of this hormone leads to the inhibition of anthocyanin biosynthesis.

HT also inhibited the activation of structural genes in anthocyanin biosynthesis as well as the repression of genes dominating the catabolism and inactivation of abscisic acid with a consequent slowing in fruit colouring. These findings suggest that ABA may be a key regulator in the inhibition of sweet cherry fruit colouring by elevated temperatures.

Overall, our findings indicate that a high temperature inhibits the colouring of sweet cherry significantly. ABA, a key positive regulator of the maturation and colouring of non-climacteric fruits, likely plays a crucial role in this process.

An increase in temperature delays the downregulation of crucial genes expression during fruit colouring, resulting in increased ABA catabolism and ABA inactivation. Such variety of Prunus MYB10 genes suggests rapid ongoing evolution, but it is unclear which of them are active and how their functionalities differ.

Although there is some data about different functions of closely related anthocyanin-regulating proteins in Arabidopsis , it is impossible to pair them with Prunus counterparts. Several similar MYB10 genes were found also in apple, some of them apparently control anthocyanin accumulation predominantly in fruit skin or flesh [ 32 , 33 ].

The same distribution of functions can be suggested for different Prunus MYB10 variants, but direct comparison to apple proteins is impossible, because all known apple MYB10 proteins are closely homologous to each other and more distant to MYB Different sweet cherry MYB10 variants can also regulate anthocyanin synthesis in other organs, for example in red leaves.

In peach, this function is recently assigned to PpMYB It is also possible that some of the newly discovered MYB10 variants can regulate anthocyanin synthesis in petals. However, the peach MYB regulator of petal coloration, named Peace [ 34 ], is more similar to Arabidopsis TT2 MYB than to any MYBlike protein.

The prime purpose in analysis of MYB10 expression was to clarify which of the variants here named PaMYB Our experiments, as well as the analysis of RNA-Seq data, confirmed that recently analyzed [ 13 ] variant MYB Among other analyzed MYB The results of expression analysis also suggest the involvement of at least one additional MYB10 player.

Primer pair V1-V1 designed to analyze MYB Meanwhile, primer pair V2-V2, destined to analyze specifically the expression of subvariant PaMYB It can be supposed, that primer pair V1-V1 is capable to detect also expression of variant MYB Meanwhile, functions of low-expressed variants in anthocyanin regulation of sweet cherry and peach fruits remains unclear.

In transient expression experiments, PaMYB Since gene and cDNA sequences had very similar effect on anthocyanin induction, the differences in encoded protein sequences are probably responsible for the differences in functionality between different MYB10 subvariants. Why MYB10 variant predominantly expressed in cherry fruits is not the same that induces anthocyanin synthesis in tobacco?

It is obvious that expression patterns and structures of anthocyanin regulators, as well as promoter sequences, in tobacco leaves differ at least to some degree from their counterparts in sweet cherry fruits.

Some proteins of one species even do not have counterparts in another for example, according to our analysis, there is no bHLH33 counterpart in tobacco. And there may be also other levels of regulation that differ between species and tissues.

Thus, to answer this question, a detailed analysis of interactions between different MYB variants and proteins, as well as promoters, from tobacco and sweet cherry may be needed.

And the similarity of protein sequences in different MYB10 variants provides the opportunity to readily pinpoint the exact protein regions responsible for any established functional differences.

Conceived and designed the experiments: RR AR VK. Performed the experiments: RR PS AR JP ED VB. Analyzed the data: RR. Wrote the paper: RR. Browse Subject Areas? Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field.

Article Authors Metrics Comments Media Coverage Reader Comments Figures. Abstract Anthocyanins are essential contributors to fruit coloration, an important quality feature and a breed determining trait of a sweet cherry fruit. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited Data Availability: All sequence data are available from the NCBI GenBank nucleotide database accession numbers KPKP, KPKP, KPKP Introduction Sweet cherry Prunus avium L.

Download: PPT. DNA isolation, PCR, gene cloning and sequencing DNA for gene cloning was isolated by GeneJET Plant Genomic DNA Purification Mini Kit Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics.

RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis and RACE Pieces of three berries containing mesocarp and exocarp tissue were grinded in liquid nitrogen and isolated using Sigma Spectrum Plant Total RNA Kit Sigma-Aldrich.

Gene expression analysis Quantitative real-time PCR qPCR amplification was carried out using the Rotor Gene Q system Qiagen. Construction of plasmids for transient gene expression assays PaWD40 , PabHLH3 , PabHLH33 , PaMYB Transient gene expression assays Wild type N. Bioinformatics analysis Manipulations of sequences was performed with Geneious software Biomatters Ltd.

Results Isolation and characterization of anthocyanin pathway genes At the start of this research, sequence information on some cherry anthocyanin synthesis genes as well as raw genome sequence of closely related peach species was already available in public databases.

Fig 2. Phylogenetic timetree of related bHLH protein sequences from asterids and rosids clades. Several closely related MYB10 genes are present in the genomes of different P.

avium cultivars Two different MYB10 variants were cloned from four P. Expression of anthocyanin pathway genes in fruits of different P. avium cultivars To determine how the expression of anthocyanin pathway genes and their regulators correlates with fruit color and anthocyanin production, we analyzed four cultivars with different levels of anthocyanins.

Fig 5. Expression of flavonoid pathway genes in fruits of different sweet cherry cultivars. Expression of the regulatory genes The analysis of putative regulators revealed that expression levels of PaWD40 are relatively constant in all analyzed cultivars and at all maturation time points, and this was confirmed by the RNA-Seq data Fig 6A.

Fig 6. Expression of putative regulatory genes in fruits of different sweet cherry cultivars. Transient expression of P. avium regulatory genes in leaves of Nicotiana plants We tested all isolated cherry MYB10 gene variants alone and together with the PabHLH3 , PabHLH33 or PaWD40 genes for the ability to induce anthocyanin synthesis in N.

Fig 7. Transient expression of putative regulators of anthocyanin synthesis in leaves of Nicotiana tabacum. Discussion The role of different bHLH proteins in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis In this study, we isolated and sequenced whole or partial genes or cDNAs encoding anthocyanin pathway enzymes or regulatory proteins from several sweet cherry cultivars.

The abundance of sweet cherry MYB10 gene variants reveals complexity and ongoing evolution of anthocyanin synthesis regulation The sequences of two sweet cherry MYB10 gene variants were known at the beginning of this research.

Supporting Information. S1 Fig. Scheme of qPCR primers for different sweet cherry MYB10 gene variants.

s PDF. S1 File. Microsoft Excel file with qPCR data and analyzed expression data for relevant genes from published RNA-seq study. s XLSX. S2 File. Additional experiments of transient expression in Nicotiana tabacum and N. S1 Table.

Primers for gene cloning and cDNA synthesis. S2 Table. Real-time PCR primers. S3 Table. Primers used for the amplification of genes analyzed in transient expression assays. Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: RR AR VK. References 1.

He J, Giusti MM. Anthocyanins: natural colorants with health-promoting properties. Annual review of food science and technology. Saito K, Yonekura-Sakakibara K, Nakabayashi R, Higashi Y, Yamazaki M, Tohge T, et al. The flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in Arabidopsis : structural and genetic diversity.

Deluc L, Barrieu F, Marchive C, Lauvergeat V, Decendit A, Richard T, et al. Characterization of a grapevine R2R3-MYB transcription factor that regulates the phenylpropanoid pathway. Plant physiology. pmid; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC Takos AM, Jaffe FW, Jacob SR, Bogs J, Robinson SP, Walker AR.

Light-induced expression of a MYB gene regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in red apples. Lepiniec L, Debeaujon I, Routaboul JM, Baudry A, Pourcel L, Nesi N, et al. Genetics and biochemistry of seed flavonoids. Annual review of plant biology. Liu Y, Liu X, Zhong F, Tian R, Zhang K, Zhang X, et al.

Comparative study of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in different species of cherries. Journal of food science. Ahmad R, Parfitt DE, Fass J, Ogundiwin E, Dhingra A, Gradziel TM, et al.

Whole genome sequencing of peach Prunus persica L. for SNP identification and selection. BMC genomics. Zhang Q, Chen W, Sun L, Zhao F, Huang B, Yang W, et al.

The genome of Prunus mume. Nature communications. Ravaglia D, Espley RV, Henry-Kirk RA, Andreotti C, Ziosi V, Hellens RP, et al. Transcriptional regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in nectarine Prunus persica by a set of R2R3 MYB transcription factors.

BMC plant biology. Rahim MA, Busatto N, Trainotti L. Regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in peach fruits. Jiao Y, Ma RJ, Shen ZJ, Yan J, Yu ML.

Gene regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in two blood-flesh peach Prunus persica L. Batsch cultivars during fruit development. Journal of Zhejiang University Science B. Zhou Y, Zhou H, Lin-Wang K, Vimolmangkang S, Espley RV, Wang L, et al. Transcriptome analysis and transient transformation suggest an ancient duplicated MYB transcription factor as a candidate gene for leaf red coloration in peach.

Shen X, Zhao K, Liu L, Zhang K, Yuan H, Liao X, et al. A role for PacMYBA in ABA-regulated anthocyanin biosynthesis in red-colored sweet cherry cv. Hong Deng Prunus avium L. Liu Y, Shen X, Zhao K, Ben Y, Guo X, Zhang X, et al. Expression Analysis of Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes in Different Colored Sweet Cherries Prunus avium L.

During Fruit Development. J Plant Growth Regul. View Article Google Scholar Ramsay NA, Glover BJ. MYB-bHLH-WD40 protein complex and the evolution of cellular diversity. Trends Plant Sci. Jaakola L. New insights into the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruits. Feller A, Machemer K, Braun EL, Grotewold E.

Evolutionary and comparative analysis of MYB and bHLH plant transcription factors. The Plant journal: for cell and molecular biology. Dubos C, Stracke R, Grotewold E, Weisshaar B, Martin C, Lepiniec L. MYB transcription factors in Arabidopsis.

Espley RV, Hellens RP, Putterill J, Stevenson DE, Kutty-Amma S, Allan AC. Red colouration in apple fruit is due to the activity of the MYB transcription factor, MdMYB Ban Y, Honda C, Hatsuyama Y, Igarashi M, Bessho H, Moriguchi T.

Isolation and functional analysis of a MYB transcription factor gene that is a key regulator for the development of red coloration in apple skin.

Lin-Wang K, Bolitho K, Grafton K, Kortstee A, Karunairetnam S, McGhie TK, et al. An R2R3 MYB transcription factor associated with regulation of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in Rosaceae. Gonzalez A, Zhao M, Leavitt JM, Lloyd AM.

Schaart JG, Dubos C, Romero De La Fuente I, van Houwelingen AM, de Vos RC, Jonker HH, et al. Identification and characterization of MYB-bHLH-WD40 regulatory complexes controlling proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in strawberry Fragaria x ananassa fruits. The New phytologist. Petroni K, Tonelli C.

Recent advances on the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in reproductive organs. Plant science: an international journal of experimental plant biology.

Cherries—particularly the Montmorency variety of tart cherries—contain melatonin. These amounts do not vary much between orchard and time of harvesting. Such small amount would seem clinically inconsequential, yet 2 recent clinical trials suggest cherry juice may nevertheless be helpful in treating insomnia.

In June Pigeon et al from the University of Rochester in New York reported that tart cherry juice was useful in treating insomnia in older adults. Responding to anecdotal reports that cherry juice was useful, they conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study with each of 15 participants receiving both treatment and a placebo for a 2-week period with an intervening 2-week washout period.

When compared to placebo, cherry juice produced significant reductions in insomnia severity minutes awake after sleep onset. No improvements were observed with the placebo. A second paper on cherries and sleep in older adults was published in September Garrido et al reported that consumption of Spanish sweet cherries grown in the Jerte Valley produced beneficial effects on actual sleep time, total nocturnal activity, assumed sleep, and immobility.

There were significant increases in antioxidant capacity of the urine. In the late s, several commercial meat products with added tart cherry pulp became the subjects of research. Although the cherry pulp had been to the meat as a novelty, researchers discovered that the fruit kept the meat fresh longer.

Cherries are excellent sources of anthocyanins, which have the greatest antioxidant capacity of any of the flavonoid chemicals.

Tart cherries contain substantial quantities of anthocyanin 1 and 2 that block cyclooxygenase cox 1 and 2. Tart cherries contain more anthocyanins and phenols than the sweet varieties.

Bilberries, blueberries, cranberries, and elderberries do not contain anthocyanin 1 and 2. A serving of tart cherry juice contains the equivalent of 0.

A standard aspirin tablet is 0. There are a number of areas in which cherries may eventually prove useful but which still rely on theory and animal evidence.

Cherries contain a significant amount of perillyl alcohol POH , a chemical that may play an active role in slowing or stopping progression of certain types of cancer.

POH is a naturally occurring monoterpene found in the essential oils of numerous plant species, including mints, cherries, and celery seeds. Tart cherries may be useful in treating diabetes, particularly the anthocyanins, which are effective at increasing insulin production by pancreatic cells when exposed to sugar.

Treatment caused a decrease in synthesis of connective tissue, especially the collagen and glycoproteins that lead to diabetic complications, including retinopathy.

Several studies suggest that cherries may protect against brain injury. Kim et al in reported that cherry anthocyanins protect brain neurons from degeneration in a dose-dependent manner. There are no reports of toxicity or disease aggravation from the consumption of cherries.

Instead there are tantalizing possibilities presented in these various studies. Cherries reduce oxidative damage in the muscles of athletes. Might the same effect occur after trauma or surgery?

Most studies on cherries to date have been small pilot trials, seeking visible benefit over short periods, typically a week or 2 at most. Larger trials with more participants for longer periods of time are needed to substantiate these early uses and perhaps reveal other unforeseen benefits.

Jacob Schor, ND, FABNO , is a graduate of National College of Naturopathic Medicine since renamed National University of Naturopathic Medicine , Portland, Oregon, and recently retired from his practice in Denver, Colorado.

He served as president to the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Physicians and is a past member of the board of directors of the Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians and American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

He is recognized as a fellow by the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology. He serves on the editorial board for the International Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, Naturopathic Doctor News and Review NDNR , and Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal. In , he was awarded the Vis Award by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Washington State University. History of Cherries. Extension Research online. Accessed August 1, Tart Cherries: An Economic Assessment of the Feasibility of Providing Multiple-Peril Crop Insurance USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, May Blau LW.

Cherry diet control for gout and arthritis. Tex Rep Biol Med. Jacob RA, Spinozzi GM, Simon VA, Kelley DS, Prior RL, Hess-Pierce B, Kader AA.

Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women. J Nutr. Tall JM, Seeram NP, Zhao C, Nair MG, Meyer RA, Raja SN. Tart cherry anthocyanins suppress inflammation-induced pain behavior in rat.

Behav Brain Res. He YH, Xiao C, Wang YS, et al. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. He YH, Zhou J, Wang YS, et al. Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of cherries on Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Scand J Rheumatol.

Food and Drug Administration. Guidance, Compliance, and Regulatory Information. Choi HK, Willett W, Curhan G. Fructose-rich beverages and risk of gout in women.

Diabetes in Control. A Perspective on Sugars: Fructose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Sucrose. Connolly DA, McHugh MP, Padilla-Zakour OI, Carlson L, Sayers SP. Efficacy of a tart cherry juice blend in preventing the symptoms of muscle damage. Br J Sports Med. Ducharme NG, Fortier LA, Kraus MS, et al.

Effect of a tart cherry juice blend on exercise-induced muscle damage in horses. Am J Vet Res. Kuehl KS, Perrier ET, Elliot DL, Chesnutt JC. Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Howatson G, McHugh MP, Hill JA, et al. Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running.

Scand J Med Sci Sports. Bowtell JL, Sumners DP, Dyer A, Fox P, Mileva KN. Montmorency cherry juice reduces muscle damage caused by intensive strength exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ. Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries Prunus cerasus.

J Agric Food Chem. Pigeon WR, Carr M, Gorman C, Perlis ML. Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: a pilot study.

J Med Food. Garrido M, Paredes SD, Cubero J, et al. Jerte Valley cherry-enriched diets improve nocturnal rest and increase 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and total antioxidant capacity in the urine of middle-aged and elderly humans.

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. Traustadóttir T, Davies SS, Stock AA, et al. Keep in mind that most studies have been done exclusively in test tubes or animals.

Therefore, more research involving humans — in addition to more anthocyanin-specific research — is needed. In a week study, people who drank 6. In another, those who drank 10 ounces mL of anthocyanin-rich plum juice daily saw a significant drop in blood pressure that remained 6 hours later.

While participants from all age groups experienced this drop, it was most significant in older adults In addition, anthocyanins may lower triglyceride and LDL bad cholesterol levels while increasing HDL good cholesterol levels 6 , 22 , 23 , Anthocyanins may also benefit your brain.

A recent review of randomized control trials — the gold standard in scientific research — suggests that these compounds boost your memory, attention, and brain processing speed For instance, a review of seven short- and long-term studies claims that diets rich in anthocyanins may improve verbal learning and memory in children, adults, and older adults with cognitive impairment Another review of 21 long-term studies suggests that supplementing with flavonoids improves attention, memory , and brain processing speed in healthy adults — as well as memory in children and older adults Anthocyanin-rich cherry juice appears to offer similar benefits.

In a week study, older adults with mild to moderate dementia saw significant improvements in verbal fluency and short- and long-term memory after drinking 6. The strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of anthocyanins may benefit your brain and heart, as well as reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Anthocyanin-rich foods are generally considered safe. However, the same cannot necessarily be said about anthocyanin supplements. Animal studies indicate that high dose polyphenol supplements may damage your kidneys , cause tumors, or unbalance your thyroid hormones Polyphenol supplements may also interact with medications and lower the absorption of certain nutrients from your diet Anthocyanin-rich foods are generally safe.

However, anthocyanin supplements may be a cause of concern. While a variety of anthocyanin supplements are available, they are regulated by the FDA as food, so less strictly than drugs.

Moreover, whole food sources of anthocyanins tend to be rich in a variety of other nutrients, which you would miss if you get anthocyanins solely from supplements. Anthocyanins can be found in supplement form.

Anthocyanins are a group of antioxidants found in red, blue, and purple fruits and veggies. A diet rich in these compounds may prevent inflammation and protect against type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Regularly eating anthocyanin-rich foods may also benefit your memory and overall brain health. For best effects, get these antioxidants from fresh, ripe plant foods rather than sourcing them from supplements. Try this today: Two ways to add a dose of anthocyanins to meals are through a handful of berries at breakfast and some shredded cabbage sprinkled on top of lunches and dinners.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Flavonoids are rich in antioxidant activity and can help your body ward off everyday toxins. Read about their function, food sources to find them, and….

Purple-pigmented foods boast a range of health benefits and add a burst of color to your diet. Here are 16 purple foods that are as nutritious as they…. Polyphenols are beneficial plant compounds thought to offer various health benefits. This article reviews everything you need to know about….

Blue fruits get their vibrant color from polyphenols, though these plant compounds provide more than just a burst of color. Here are 7 delicious blue…. Antioxidants are incredibly important, but most people don't really understand what they are.

This article explains it all in human terms. Red vegetables, like tomatoes and bell peppers, may help reduce the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, and high cholesterol. While they're not typically able to prescribe, nutritionists can still benefits your overall health.

Let's look at benefits, limitations, and more. A new study found that healthy lifestyle choices — including being physically active, eating well, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption —….

Carb counting is complicated. Take the quiz and test your knowledge! Together with her husband, Kansas City Chiefs MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mohomes shares how she parents two children with severe food….

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based What Is Anthocyanin? Foods List, Benefits, and More. Medically reviewed by Jared Meacham, Ph. Definition Foods list Benefits Side effects Supplements Bottom line Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are not only rich in vitamins and minerals but also contain a range of plant compounds that benefit your health.

What is anthocyanin? Anthocyanin-containing foods. Health benefits of anthocyanins. Potential side effects of anthocyanins. Can you supplement with anthocyanins? The bottom line. Just one thing Try this today: Two ways to add a dose of anthocyanins to meals are through a handful of berries at breakfast and some shredded cabbage sprinkled on top of lunches and dinners.

Was this helpful? How we reviewed this article: History.