Beneficial effects of blackcurrant supplementation on bone metabolism in mice has recently been demonstrated, but no studies are available in humans. The current study aimed to examine the dose-dependent effects of blackcurrant in preventing bone loss and the underlying mechanisms of action in adult women. Forty peri- and early postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into one of three treatment groups for 6 months: (1) a placebo (control group, n = 13); (2) 392 mg/day of blackcurrant powder (low blackcurrant, BC, group, n = 16); and (3) 784 mg/day of blackcurrant powder (high BC group, n = 11). The significance of differences in outcome variables was tested by repeated-measures ANOVA with treatment and time as between- and within-subject factors, respectively. Overall, blackcurrant supplementation decreased the loss of whole-body bone mineral density (BMD) compared to the control group (p < 0.05), though the improvement of whole-body BMD remained significant only in the high BC group (p < 0.05). Blackcurrant supplementation also led to a significant increase in serum amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP), a marker of bone formation (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that daily consumption of 784 mg of blackcurrant powder for six months mitigates the risk of postmenopausal bone loss, potentially through enhancing bone formation. Further studies of larger samples with various skeletal conditions are warranted to confirm these findings.

Recent cell and animal studies suggest the potential of blackcurrants (BCs; Ribes nigrum) as a dietary agent that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by improving dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This study aimed to examine the effects of BC anthocyanin (ACN) extract supplementation on biomarkers of CVD risk in healthy adult women in menopause transition. The effects of BC ACN supplementation on body composition, fasting blood lipids and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress were evaluated using anthropometric measures and blood samples collected from a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial in peri- and early postmenopausal women. Thirty-eight eligible peri- and early postmenopausal women aged 45–60 completed the entire trial, in which they were randomly assigned into one of three treatment groups: placebo (control group), 392 mg/day (low BC group), or 784 mg/day (high BC group) for six months. The significance of differences in outcomes was tested using repeated-measures ANOVA. Overall, following six-month BC consumption, significantly decreased triglyceride (TG) levels were observed between treatment groups (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. Plasma interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was significantly reduced in a dose and time dependent manner (p < 0.05). Significant decreases in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels were also observed between treatment groups (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. Six-month change in oxidized LDL was inversely correlated with changes in catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (p < 0.05), while C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) change was positively correlated with changes in TG and IL-1β (p < 0.01). Together, these findings suggest that daily BC consumption for six months effectively improved dyslipidemia, inflammation, and lipid peroxidation, thus potentially mitigating the risk of postmenopausal CVD development in study participants. Future studies with larger sample sizes and at-risk populations are warranted to confirm these findings.