SYNOPSIS: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXERCISE METABOLISM AND SPORTS NUTRITION, JULY 2018
Anthocyanins are pigments within berries and other colourful fruits and vegetables. They have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory actions that improve recovery from exercise. Furthermore, anthocyanins can also have vasoactive properties, including decreasing mean arterial blood pressure and increasing vasodilation during exercise. This narrative review focuses on the experimental evidence for blackcurrant and cherry anthocyanins to improve exercise performance in humans, which may be fruit and/or berry specific.
Conclusion: Performance benefits have been observed following blackcurrant ingestion, whereas performance improvements following intake of other anthocyanin containing fruits have not been demonstrated to the same extent. This may be due to the individual and specific anthocyanin make-ups within the fruits.
