Anthocyanins May Support Improved Cholesterol Levels
Lee Swanson Research Update
Increased intakes of antioxidant anthocyanins may improve levels of HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol, according to results of a new human study involving 120 people.
Consumption of berry-derived anthocyanin supplements resulted in a 13.7% increase in levels of HDL cholesterol and a 13.6% reduction in levels of LDL cholesterol, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Chinese scientists from Sun Yat-Sen University randomly assigned 120 people aged between 40 and 65 with abnormal blood lipid levels (dyslipidemia) to receive either a daily dose of 320 mg of anthocyanins or placebo for 12 weeks.
The study builds on earlier results from animal studies, which showed beneficial effects of the antioxidant compounds on lipid levels.
Using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial design, the Chinese researchers studied the effects of a twice-daily dose of 160 mg anthocyanins on the lipid levels of the participants.
After 12 weeks of supplementation, HDL cholesterol levels increased by almost 14% in the anthocyanin group, compared to a rise of only 2.8% in the placebo group. Furthermore, LDL cholesterol levels decreased by 13.6% in the anthocyanin group, compared to an increase of 0.6% in the placebo group.
The removal of cholesterol from cells, the so-called cellular cholesterol efflux, was found to increase by 20% in the anthocyanin group, compared to 0.2% in the placebo group.
In terms of the potential mechanism, the activity of a protein called plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) was studied. CETP works by collecting triglycerides from LDL and exchanging them for cholesteryl esters from HDL, and also the reverse.
Supplementation with anthocyanins was found to reduce the activity of CETP by 6.3%, while CETP activity fell by only 1.1% in the placebo group, researchers said. "The change in HDL cholesterol was negatively correlated with the change in CETP activity," they wrote.
"The change in LDL cholesterol was positively correlated with the change in CETP mass," they added.
"Anthocyanin supplementation in humans improves LDL and HDL cholesterol concentrations and enhances the cellular cholesterol efflux to serum," wrote the researchers. "These benefits may be due to the inhibition of CETP," they concluded.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print.