A recent review of studies on the bone health benefits of anthocyanins has significantly advanced our understanding of how these naturally occurring compounds strengthen bone. Found in plants, anthocyanins give foods red, black, blue, or purple coloration.
In this article, you'll learn all about anthocyanins, including researchers' knowledge of their health benefits, the newest findings about their impact on bone remodeling, and how to incorporate these powerful plant compounds in your daily diet.
About Anthocyanins
Anthocyanins belong to the flavonoid family of polyphenols that have been amply studied for their health benefits.
Anthocyanins are antioxidants, meaning they reduce oxidative stress on cells throughout the body. That action protects the body from cellular damage.
Their anti-inflammatory properties are likely related to their ability to reduce oxidative damage. They also have anti-apoptotic effects. Apoptosis is the process of cell death, so anthocyanins help to lengthen the life of cells. Anthocyanins are pigments found in dark-colored plant foods– especially red, blue, and purple plants such as berries and purple potatoes.
Studies have linked diets rich in anthocyanins to reduced risk of chronic diseases including cancer, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.1
Previous studies examining flavonoids more broadly have highlighted anthocyanins for their significant health benefits. One study on the impact of flavonoids on bone mineral density (BMD) found that flavonoid intake was positively associated with bone mineral density (BMD). That study identified anthocyanins as having the most significant impact on BMD.2
This finding spurred additional research into mechanisms behind anthocyanins' effect on bone health.
Synopsis
Anthocyanins are a class of plant compounds belonging to the flavonoid family. They have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects. Studies have linked anthocyanins to risk reductions for chronic diseases and improved bone mineral density.
Delicious, Bone-Healthy Meals Made Simple
Support your bones with 200+ easy, flavorful recipes designed to naturally boost bone strength—without spending hours in the kitchen. Bone Appétit takes the guesswork out of eating for bone health, so you can enjoy every meal with confidence.
Anthocyanins Support Bone Health In Multiple Ways
A paper published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology reviews the progress of research into the action of anthocyanins on bone remodeling and regeneration. The review authors found increasing evidence from studies showing that the consumption of anthocyanins played a role in preventing bone loss and helping to heal fractures.
Anthocyanins are a class of flavonoid containing hundreds of phytochemicals such as delphinidin, petunidin, malvidin, and cyanidin each with varying impacts on different parts of the bone remodeling process.
Some anthocyanins have been found to upregulate the osteoblastic genes promoting the proliferation of osteoblasts. Ostoblasts are the cells responsible for creating new bone tissue.
Other anthocyanins play an important role in inhibiting osteoclastogenesis, helping to regulate a healthy bone turnover balance. Osteoclasts are the cells that resorb old or damaged bone. They play an essential role in bone health, however, when osteoclasts are over-represented in the bone remodeling process, bone loss occurs.
Healthy bone remodeling requires a proper balance between bone resorption and bone deposition. Pharmaceutical interventions that force a change in this balance yield unintended and unnatural results. For example, bisphosphonates that suppress osteoclasts cause a build up of old and damaged bone, leaving bones denser but more brittle and less healthy. This leads to the possibility of dangerous side effects like atypical femur fracture.
Anthocyanins both inhibit bone resorption and stimulate bone formation, and they do it through a natural process that your body has evolved to use safely– eating and digesting plant foods!
Synopsis
Different anthocyanins have different positive impacts on bone health. Some upregulate osteoblasts, others inhibit the creation of osteoclasts. These impacts help explain anthocyanins' natural ability to improve bone health.
Where To Get Anthocyanins
Since anthocyanins are a pigment, you can identify foods rich in these compounds by their color. Fruits and vegetables with red, blue, and purple colors are very likely to get those hues from anthocyanins.
* Foundation Foods
This list of anthocyanin-rich foods is arranged from higher to lower potential concentrations of anthocyanins. However, the anthocyanin content of each species of plant widely varies based on growing area, climate, season, light exposure, harvest time, and even storing temperature. This means that even a food with the highest potential level of anthocyanins might have low anthocyanin content, making it important to eat a variety of anthocyanin-containing foods from different sources.
As the study we reviewed found, different anthocyanins affect various aspects of the bone remodeling process, which is another reason it's best to consume a variety of these foods. A colorful diet is an excellent way to increase your intake of anthocyanins and other beneficial flavonoids.
Synopsis
See the list above for anthocyanin-rich foods. Eating a wide variety of these– and other colorful foods– is an excellent way to protect your bones and improve your health.
What This Means To You
A diet rich in colorful plant-based foods will serve your bones and overall health. Broadening the color palette of your meals helps to ensure variety, and because colorful foods are likely to be alkalizing plant foods, this habit makes it easy to achieve an 80/20 pH-balanced diet.
This is an excellent example of a natural approach to improving bone health, which many doctors may not be aware of mostly due to the minimal emphasis on nutrition in medical school. The Osteoporosis Reversal Program contains many natural nutrition and lifestyle-based strategies for improving your bone health, backed by rigorous scientific evidence.
The Save Institute has also created a cookbook and meal planner specially crafted to make it easy to incorporate bone-building compounds into your daily diet. Bone Appétit has simple and effective recipes for every meal of the day, plus snacks, desserts, smoothies, and more.
Add some color to your day using your diet– your body and bones will thank you for it!
Thank you, I will add more to my diet. A question about osteoporosis, is it possible that low bone density can be due to a low density from the first, growing up rather than an accelerated loss later in life.
I grew up very fast during my late teens and having had a fracture from low trauma and a low bone density I believe that the equilibrium between resorption and absorption did not change while growing old.
Unfortunately, that’s impossible to determine without having DXA scans to observe the results and their variations. The good news is that you can increase bone deposition anytime with a pH-balanced diet and other simple lifestyle changes.
Can you give us a review of the history of fluoride,,,,,
where it comes from, why is it in our water?
Abbie, believe it or not, fluoride was used as the active ingredient for pest control since the end of the 19th century, mainly against cockroaches, ants, and rats. How did it end up in our water? It’s explained in detail in the Osteoporosis Hydration Protocol, which is part of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. We also have many articles about this topic, and you can read them here:
https://saveourbones.com/page/1/?s=fluoride
Thanks for the informationVivian. I try to avoid eggplant because it;s a nightshade. Is it good for bone?
You’re welcomeLinda! To answer your question, foods labeled as nightshades are subject to controversy. However, most of them contain healthy micronutrients, both for bone health and overall health. For example, eggplant is an alkalizing Foundation Food listed in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program and contains bone-healthy manganese and antioxidant phytonutrients.
Unless you’re allergic or intolerant to eggplant, you don’t need to avoid it. In fact,, there isn’t enough scientific evidence linking nightshades to health issues. You can read more about nightshades here:
https://saveourbones.com/the-6-bone-healthy-foods-with-a-shady-reputation/
Thank you, Vivian! I love berries and eat them almost every day.
That’s great, Kathy! And you’re very welcome!
What are the asterisked items in the list if the list is already sorted highest to lowest? Thanks!
Good question, Sharon! The asterisk denotes that those are Foundation Foods as listed in the ORP. We’ve added the information to the article now. Thanks for letting us know that it was missing!
In excellent health,
Customer Support