The Mediterranean diet (MD) is becoming a milestone for the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Ancel Keys in the 1950’s showed a low mortality rate, particularly for coronary heart disease, among people resident in the Mediterranean area. The MD is characterized by the intake of the high amount of vegetables, fruit, and cereals and regular but moderate consumption of wine, fish, and dairy products, while olive oil is the main source of culinary fat. Therefore, it is principally a plant-based diet rich in polyphenols, a heterogeneous category of compounds with different properties and bioavailabilities. Among polyphenols, anthocyanins have been combined into the human food regime for centuries. They have been utilized as traditional herbal remedies for their ability to treat several conditions, as potent anti-oxidants, anti-diabetic and anti-carcinogenic compounds. This review summarizes our knowledge on the health-enhancing component of the anthocyanins-rich diet.

地中海饮食 (MD) 正成为预防心血管疾病 (CVD)、阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森氏症等慢性病的里程碑。Ancel Keys 在 1950 年代的研究表明，地中海地区居民的死亡率很低，尤其是冠心病。MD 的特点是摄入大量蔬菜、水果和谷物，并定期但适量食用葡萄酒、鱼和乳制品，而橄榄油是烹饪脂肪的主要来源。因此，它主要是一种富含多酚的植物性饮食，多酚是一类具有不同性质和生物利用度的异质化合物。在多酚中，花青素已被结合到人类食物中几个世纪。它们已被用作传统草药，因为它们具有治疗多种疾病的能力，如有效的抗氧化剂、抗糖尿病和抗癌化合物。这篇综述总结了我们对富含花青素的饮食中促进健康的成分的了解。