Consuming  high amounts of anthocyanins reduces the risk to develop hypertension. The findings come from a study performed by the University of East Anglia, UK, where researchers analyzed data on nearly 200,000 men and women over a period of 14 years. 
Researchers assessed participants’ intake of flavonoids and relative subclass from various dietary sources as apples, blueberries, red wine and orange juice, by administering dietary questionnaires collected every 4 years. During 14 years of follow-up, about 35,000 cases of hypertension were reported. Subjects in the highest category of anthocyanin intake, mainly from blueberries and strawberries, reported an 8% reduction in risk of hypertension  compared with that for participants in the lowest quintile of anthocyanin intake.  The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first to investigate the effect of different types of flavonoids on hypertension.