(Ivanhoe Newswires) -- Black raspberries not only taste delicious, and
now scientists say they may also help ward off cancer.
A study by the Ohio State Comprehensive Center revealed black raspberries
contain the cancer fighting agent known as anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids
that inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer in rats.
"Our data provide strong evidence that anthocyanins are important for cancer
prevention," Gary D. Stoner, Ph.D., a professor in the department of internal
medicine at Ohio State University, was quoted as saying.
Rats were fed an extract from black raspberries rich in anthocyanin and found it
was nearly as effective in preventing esophageal cancer in rats as whole black
raspberries were. Dr. Stoner and colleagues have previously studied whole berry
powder in patients, but that required a dose of up to 60 grams a day of the
substance.
"Now that we know the anthocyanins in berries are almost as active as whole
berries themselves, we hope to be able to prevent cancer in humans using a
standardized mixture of anthocyanins," Dr. Stoner explained. "The goal is to
potentially replace whole berry powder with its active components and then
figure out better ways to deliver these components to tissues, to increase their
uptake and effectiveness."
SOURCE: Cancer Prevention Research, January 2009
