Abstract
Background & aims: Vascular function, blood pressure and inflammation are involved in the pathogenesis of major chronic diseases, including both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study investigated the effects of food anthocyanins on microvascular function, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and inflammatory biomarkers in older adults with MCI. Methods and results: Thirty-one participants with MCI [19 female, 12 male, mean age 75.3 (SD 6.9) years and body mass index 26.1 (SD 3.3) kg/m ], participated in a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12618001184268). Participants consumed 250 mL fruit juice daily for 8 weeks, allocated into three groups: a) high dose anthocyanins (201 mg); b) low dose anthocyanins (47 mg); c) control. Microvascular function (Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging combined with a post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia test), 24h ABP and serum inflammatory