In addition to the anecdotal use of anthocyanins and anthocyanin –rich plants in traditional medicine, modern laboratories have demonstrated the potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of these molecules. A plethora of studies have been published with regards to their possible use in the prevention of many chronic diseases such as neurological and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer, among others.
Although anthocyanins are generally believed to display an array of beneficial actions on human health and wellbeing, the critical examination of their exact mechanism of action, the specific radical-scavenging capabilities of the different anthocyanins, as well as well-designed clinical trials are still crucial for establishing their actual role in human health.
Anthocyanins blood concentration is critical for their nutritional benefit; their absorption rate from foods is typically below 1%, and depends also on food matrix and processing.