Acylated anthocyanins from various sources, such as purple sweet potato and Concord grape

According to the CDC, over 37 million Americans—about 1 in 10Trusted Source individuals—have diabetes, and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes.

Normally, a hormone called insulin moves glucose (sugar) from the blood into cells, where it’s used for energy. But in type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use or produce insulin properly, and glucose builds up in the blood instead of being used by cells.

If diabetes is not managed properly, it can cause many health problems over time, including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, nerve damage, eye damage and vision loss, kidney disease and foot problems.

While various factors can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, including a family history of diabetes, research has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can delay or prevent the onset of diabetes and enhance the well-being of individuals with diabetes-related health problems.

The benefits associated with fruits and vegetables are attributed to their high concentrations of polyphenols. One particular class of polyphenols—anthocyanins—are responsible for giving red-orange to blue-violet colors in plants.

Studies in the United StatesTrusted Source and FinlandTrusted Source have shown that consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods, particularly berries, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Many studies have been carried out to better understand the anti-diabetic properties of anthocyanins.

A new review article published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry summarizes the effects of anthocyanins on the gut microbiome, energy metabolism and inflammation, with a special focus on acylated anthocyanins.

Acylated vs. nonacylated anthocyanins
Anthocyanins are divided into 2 categories based on their molecular structure: acylated and nonacylated.

Acylated anthocyanins have a chemical group called an “acyl group” (made up of a carbon atom and an oxygen atom double-bonded to each other, with a single bond to another carbon atom), which nonacylated anthocyanins lack.

Compared to nonacylated anthocyanins, acylated anthocyanins are more stable and more resistant to digestion. For this reason, they are not digested and absorbed in the stomach, and upper intestine, and they pass through to the colon, where they are degraded extensively by gut microorganisms.

Elderberry, blackberry, and blackcurrant mainly contain nonacylated anthocyanins, while acylated anthocyanins are found in red radish, purple corn, black carrot, red cabbage and purple sweet potato.

Studies on the two types of anthocyanins differ in design and analysis methods, making it difficult to draw clear conclusions about the differences in biological activity.

However, Dr. Baoru Yang, professor of food sciences at the University of Turku, and her coauthors on the review suggest that acylated anthocyanins may be superior to nonacylated anthocyanins in terms of anti-diabetic properties.

Dr. Taylor C. Wallace, adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University and principal and CEO at the Think Healthy Group, told Medical News Today that it is important to consider other differences in the sources of acylated and nonacylated anthocyanins.

“[Acylated anthocyanin-rich] purple potatoes also contain a lot of resistant starch and other compounds that may contribute to their anti-diabetic effects. [Nonacylated anthocyanin-rich] berries contain a significant amount of natural sugar that may negate some of the anthocyanin’s anti-diabetic effects.”
— Dr. Taylor Wallace

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Anthocyanins promote gut health
Researchers have studied the effects of various anthocyanins on bacteria living in the gut (or gut microbiome) using animal models.

In a mouse study, nonacylated anthocyanins from black rice increased the abundance of certain gut bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila. A. muciniphila has been shownTrusted Source to stimulate insulin secretion and lead to improved glucose metabolism in mice with type 2 diabetes.

Acylated anthocyanins from various sources, such as purple sweet potato and Concord grape, have also been shown to affect the gut microbiome by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria, inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, and increasing the production of short-chain fatty acidsTrusted Source, which are beneficial for gut hea.lth and glycemic control.