Sharing today about an amazing phytochemical…. #purplepower in Anthocyanins

Life-long learners have one thing in common, a desire to explore life in novel ways and creatively apply this knowledge. To do this optimally, we need our cognitive capacity to stay at peak functionality over time. And while we know that stress, sleep, and movement are all contributors, what about the value of plant pigments, particularly anthocyanins? Anthocyanins are blue, red, or purple pigments found in plants, flowers, fruits, and tubers.

Leafy vegetables, grains, roots, and tubers all have high levels of anthocyanins; cyanidin-3-glucoside is one of the significant anthocyanins found in plants. This recent post with blueberry, lavender, blackberry shrub is a great example of how to creatively use these colors.

Interestingly, the stability of this molecule is dependent on many factors:
>Type of anthocyanin pigment
>Copigments
>Light
>Temperature
>pH
>Metal ions
>Enzymes
>Oxygen
>Antioxidants

Finding scientific evidence on the actions for a specific phytonutrient in humans is challenging as their effectiveness is dependent on so many things. However, there are mechanisms outlined in science that clearly show anthocyanins have high antioxidant activity, which means that they are good at scavenging free radicals. Reported additional benefits include cardiovascular health, visual health, and metabolic health. There are also neuroprotective effects of cyanidin and its glycosides (Khoo, 2017).

A meta-analysis of seven studies looked at cognitive outcomes in children, adults, and older adults with cognitive impairment. Six of seven studies reported improvements in single or multiple cognitive outcomes, including verbal learning and memory, after anthocyanin-rich food consumption (Kent, 2017).

The low bioavailability of anthocyanins causes low absorption of these compounds into the circulating blood system and a high excretion rate of anthocyanins in urine and feces, thus reducing the presence of anthocyanins in general (Khoo, 2017) So more is better!

I love them because, in acidic conditions, anthocyanin appears as red pigment while blue pigment exists in alkaline conditions… so fun!!

Share this post with your visionary friends 🦄🦋🧚.

Khoo HE, Azlan A, Tang ST, Lim SM. Anthocyanidins and anthocyanins: colored pigments as food, pharmaceutical ingredients, and the potential health benefits. Food Nutr Res. 2017;61(1):1361779. Published 2017 Aug 13. doi:10.1080/16546628.2017.1361779 

Kent K, Charlton KE, Netzel M, Fanning K. Food-based anthocyanin intake and cognitive outcomes in human intervention trials: a systematic review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2017 Jun;30(3):260-274. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12431. Epub 2016 Oct 11. PMID: 27730693.