O efeito das antocianinas na saúde humana

Abstract

Anthocyanins are natural pigments soluble in water and are the most abundant flavonoids in foods, give the food coloring from red to blue and has shown great antioxidant potential. Oxidative stress is caused by an excess of cellular reactive oxygen species and nitrogen. There is epidemiological evidence that the intake of polyphenols is inversely related to the incidence of cancer, while a number of studies suggest that high intake of flavonoids may be protective against coronary heart disease. This work aims to investigate through literature review the effects of anthocyanins in oxidative stress, as well as their protective mechanisms, seeking to update the information on their effect on human health. The literature review was performed using the terms in English for "anthocyanins", "flavonoids" and "oxidative stress". The consultation took place through the PubMed database, covering the years 2012 and 2013. Studies have found relate to the antioxidant effect of anthocyanins in various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hepatic diseases, different types of tumors, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes mellitus effects. In view of the articles studied for this review is clear that anthocyanins are a group of polyphenols with potent antioxidant effect.