Effects of anthocyanin supplementation on blood lipid levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Dyslipidemia is amajor cardiovascular disease risk factor associated with increasedmortality. The intake of plant food-derived bioactive compounds is associated with beneficial cardiovascular effects, including decreased blood lipid levels and cardiovascular risk. We aimed to evaluate the e ects of anthocyanin intake on blood lipid levels by analyzing relevant randomized controlled trials. Methods: We searched the PubMed and Embase databases using the "Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes" format to determine whether anthocyanin supplementation intervention affected blood lipid levels compared with placebo supplementation in human participants. Results: A total of 41 studies with 2,788 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Anthocyanin supplementation significantly reduced triglyceride [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.18, -0.01) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (SMD = -0.16; 95% CI -0.26, -0.07) levels and increased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (SMD = 0.42; 95% CI 0.20, 0.65). Discussion: Anthocyanin supplementation significantly improved blood lipid component levels in the included studies. Larger, well-designed clinical trials are needed to further investigate the e ects of anthocyanin intake on blood lipid levels and the safety of anthocyanin supplementation for treating dyslipidemia.