If You Haven’t Noticed Chokeberry Yet, Notice It Now!

Chokeberry is a herb that has not yet attracted a lot of attention. But, as this new

study adds to the rapidly accumulating evidence for its cardiovascular benefits, it

may finally be time to pay attention.

Chokeberry shrub, or aronia, is a member of the rose family. Its berries, like so

many more famous berries, are loaded in antioxidant flavonoids: especially

anthocyanins.

Chokeberry first attracted notice in 2007 when a study found that it significantly

improved blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides as well as

glucose, homocysteine and fibrinogen, all of which could improve heart health

(Pharmacol Rep 2007;59 (suppl 1):177-82).

The same year, chokeberry was found to improve the blood pressure lowering

effect of statin drugs in people who had survived a heart attack

(Atherosclerosis 2007;194:e179-e184).

Eight years later, another study found that chokeberry significantly improved

triglycerides and reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (J Food

Med 2015;18:1231-8).

Then a study tested chokeberry on people with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Metabolic syndrome is the constellation of any 3 of abdominal obesity, elevated

triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar.

Chokeberry significantly improved waist size, blood sugar, systolic and diastolic

blood pressure, LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides (Mol Cell Biochem.

July 2021;476(7):2663-2673).

Now, a just published study adds to the evidence. It gave either no treatment or

aronia fruit extract to 44 elderly people with metabolic syndrome. After 8 weeks,

there was significant improvement in diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, LDL

cholesterol and small dense low-density lipoprotein. Small dense low-density

lipoprotein is an even better predictor of cardiovascular disease than LDL

cholesterol. It also significantly improved plasma atherogenic index, a ratio of

triglycerides to HDL cholesterol that is a strong predictor of the risk of

atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

The chokeberry extract also significantly improved markers of inflammation,

including TNF-α, IL-6 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as well as markers of

oxidative stress.

The study concludes that chokeberry extract “may be an effective dietary

supplement for managing MetS in high-risk groups” due to its ability to

significantly improve markers of cardiovascular health, inflammation and

oxidative stress.

J Am Nutr Assoc. 2025 Sep 4:1-10. doi:10.1080/27697061.2025.2551181.