Anthocyanins: What do we know until now?
Francesca Giampieri, Danila Cianciosi, José M. Álvarez-Suárez, José L. Quiles, Tamara Y. Forbes‐Hernández, María D. Navarro‐Hortal, Michele Machì, Ramón del Jesús Palí Casanova, Julio César Martínez Espinosa, Xiumin Chen, Di Zhang, Weibin Bai, Tian Lingmin, Bruno Mezzetti, Maurizio Battino, Yasmany Armas Díaz
Abstract
Diets enriched in plant-based foods are associated with the maintenance of a good well-being and with the prevention of many non-communicable diseases. The health effects of fruits and vegetables consumption are mainly due to the presence of micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, and polyphenols, plant secondary metabolites. One of the most important classes of phenolic compounds are anthocyanins, that confer the typical purple-red color to many foods, such as berries, peaches, plums, red onions, purple corn, eggplants, as well as purple carrots, sweet potatoes and red cabbages, among others. This commentary aims to briefly highlight the progress made by science in the last years, focusing on some unexpected aspects related with anthocyanins, such as their bioavailability, their health effects and their relationship with gut microbiota.