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FOLSOM, Calif., July 8, 2026 – There is growing evidence that certain foods may be important not only for the vitamins and minerals that they contain, but also for the bioactives that they provide. While common vitamins and minerals are required to meet basic human nutritional needs, bioactives are compounds commonly found in foods or dietary supplements that are responsible for changes in health status. 1
One group of bioactives is dietary anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol responsible for red, purple and blue colors in some fruits and vegetables. Berries in particular are a rich fruit source and blueberries have the highest amount of anthocyanins among the most commonly consumed berries. Anthocyanins have been studied for their anti-inflammatory effects along with their positive impact on health, such as helping to support cardiovascular function.2
While previous meta-analyses support the cardiometabolic benefits of anthocyanins in heterogenous populations (including disease), efficacy in healthy populations remains unknown. To explore the effect of anthocyanins in healthy participants, researchers at Tufts University Medical Center, Norwich Medical School and Queen’s University conducted the first ever systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled (RCT) trials in healthy participants. The results were recently published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Key Study Details
The authors evaluated data on anthocyanins and cardiometabolic health from scientific papers published from 1946 to September 2024, which reported anthocyanin intake and cardiovascular disease risk or cardiometabolic biomarkers. They identified the papers using databases PubMed, Cochrane Central, Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau and Web of Science.
After analyzing 18 prospective cohort studies in 27 publications (1,063-369,827 participants ≥18 years of age) the researchers found that a higher intake of anthocyanins lowered the risk for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction (more commonly known as a heart attack), hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Anthocyanin Intake Linked to Improved Biomarkers
The researchers also analyzed 65 RCTs (40-130 participants ≥18 years of age). It is significant to note that this RCT review showed that anthocyanin intakes as low as 50 mg/d improved atherosclerosis (plaque buildup) and metabolic syndrome biomarkers (e.g., elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, elevated fasting and high waist circumference) in healthy individuals. To put that amount into perspective, 50 mg/d of anthocyanins equates to the highly achievable amount of ~ 1/3 cup of blueberries per day (a typical serving size is 1 cup).3
“This study suggests that simple and achievable dietary changes could have a significant impact in reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes,”’ said Aedin Cassidy, Ph.D., chair of nutrition & preventive medicine and co-director of the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the study’s lead investigator.
According to Cassidy, “By pooling all the data from high-quality, population-based studies and randomized controlled studies, our data suggests that higher habitual intakes of anthocyanins are associated with a lower risk of developing illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. These benefits were backed up by the available data from randomized controlled trials which showed that readily achievable anthocyanin intakes, as low as 50 mg/d, improve cardiometabolic biomarkers in healthy participants.”
“Our study shows clinically relevant improvements in blood flow, elasticity of the arteries and insulin levels in the combined trial data, and these improvements could translate into significant long-term health benefits,” Cassidy added. “We hope these findings contribute to the existing and growing body of research on anthocyanins and enhance understanding of their potential role in human health.”
Future Research Directions
Future research should focus on larger and longer-duration trials. Additionally, biomarker-based intake assessments in cohort studies and the explorations of dose-response relationships in RCTs are warranted.
Collectively, these findings illustrate the important role of anthocyanins in supporting cardiometabolic health outcomes and risk biomarkers in healthy individuals. This data continues to strengthen the overall evidence base that contributes to the broader body of research examining the influences of dietary anthocyanins, found in foods like berries, on cardiovascular health.
The USHBC had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the study. For more information on blueberry nutrition research visit healthprofessionals.blueberry.org/research
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About the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
Established in 2000, The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is a federal agriculture research and promotion program with independent oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USHBC represents blueberry growers and packers in North and South America who market their blueberries in the United States and overseas, and works to promote the growth and well-being of the entire blueberry industry. USHBC is committed to providing blueberries that are grown, harvested, packed and shipped in clean, safe environments. Learn more ushbc.blueberry.org.
1 NIH, Office of Dietary Supplements. Federal Register Vol. 69 No. 179FR Dec 04–20892, Sept. 16, 2004 [cited 10/6/19]. Available from: ods.od.nih/gov/Research/Bioactive_Food_Components_Initiative.aspx.
2Curtis PJ, van der Velpen V, Berends L, et al. Blueberries improve biomarkers of cardiometabolic function in participants with metabolic syndrome-results from a 6-month, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109(6):1535-1545. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy380
3 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2026. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2346411/nutrients
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