LAUSR

The rising global obesity rates and related health problems have led to more studies focusing on dietary interventions. Anthocyanins have become a subject of great interest as a bioactive compound. This study employs a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 945 publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) (2003-2024) to map the evolving research landscape linking anthocyanins to obesity management. Analysis using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R-bibliometrix revealed a substantial increase in the cumulative number of publications in the field, with the USA and China dominating in terms of research output. Keyword analysis identified current main research themes in the field: “anthocyanins”, “obesity”, “insulin resistance”, “oxidative stress” and “antioxidant activity” reflecting current mechanistic investigations into metabolic regulation and inflammatory pathways. The focus of research has shifted from initial compositional studies to molecular mechanisms and interactions, including intestinal flora regulation, metabolic and inflammatory regulation. This reveals a shift in research trends from phenomenal observations to precise interventions. Emerging frontiers emphasize interdisciplinary integration. In the future, anthocyanin and obesity research is expected to advance precision nutrition strategies as disciplines such as metabolomics and genetic engineering are integrated. Anthocyanin-rich formulations are expected to be adjunctive therapeutic agents for personalized obesity therapies. This highlights the dual role of anthocyanins as functional food ingredients and therapeutic agents. At the same time, it also maps out the critical path for future research including bioavailability optimization and the clinical validation of multi-target mechanisms. These findings provide new ideas and insights for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in the development of functional foods for metabolic health.