This chapter reviews literature on anthocyanins in foods and their metabolism and absorption and possible relationships to human health. Of the various classes of flavonoids, the potential dietary intake of anthocyanins is perhaps the greatest (100+ mg/day). The content in fruits varies considerably between 0.25 to 700 mg/100 g fresh weight. Not only does the concentration vary, the individual specific anthocyanins present also are quite different in various fruits. Anthocyanins are absorbed intact without cleavage of the sugar to form the aglycone. The proportion of the dose that appears in the urine is quite small (