Anthocyanins are polyphenolic compounds found in high concentrations in berries. Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties and have been shown to be potent reducing compounds in vitro. One of their effects in vivo that might relate to their antioxidant function is the favourable effects they have on lipid profiles. Elevated levels of LDL cholesterol and VLDL-triglycerides are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, a suppressed level of HDL cholesterol is also a risk factor for heart disease. A number of animal studies have shown that anthocyanins have favourable effects on lipid profiles, but the rodents used are known to have quite different lipid metabolism to humans. Therefore, researchers1 have investigated the effects of anthocyanins of the lipid profiles of 120 dyslipideamic human subjects aged between 40 and 65 years. In the placebo controlled study, subjects were administered 160 mg per day of anthocyanins or a placebo for 12 weeks.
The results showed that anthocyanin supplementation increased HDL cholesterol concentrations by 13.7%, compared to 2.8% in the control group. In addition those subjects taking the anthocyanin supplements had a 13.6% reduction in LDL cholesterol concentrations, whereas the control group had a 0.6% increase. The mass and activity of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), a protein that transfers cholesterol between the various lipoproteins, also fell by 10.4% in the anthocyanin group, compared to 6.3% in the control group. The reduced activity of CETP my explain the why HDL increased and LDL decreased, but total cholesterol levels remained unchanged. In this study the changes in LDL an HDL cholesterol are important because each 1% increase in HDL and 1% decrease in LDL, results in an estimated reduction in cardiovascular events by 1%. The 13.6% decrease in LDL and the 13.7% increase in HDL in this study may represent a 27% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.
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