Fruit and Vegetable Coloring may Protect Against Colon Cancer
Reported August 21, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — The stuff that makes fruits and vegetables so colorful may also help protect against colon cancer.New research from The Ohio State University shows understanding the molecular structures of the coloring compounds may help researchers find more powerful cancer fighters. And anthocyanins — the compounds that give color to most red, purple and blue fruits and veggies — greatly slowed the growth of colon cancer cells. The findings also help scientists better understand the cancer-fighting properties.
Researchers looked at the effects of anthocyanin-rich extracts on human colon cancer cells grown in laboratory dishes. They took the compound from exotic fruits and other plants including grapes, radishes, purple corn, chokeberries, bilberries, purple carrots and elderberries.
Results show all fruits and vegetables rich in anthocyanins can slow the growth of colon cancer cells, but the amount of extract needed to reduce the growth by 50 percent varied among the plants. Extract from purple corn was the most potent — it took the least amount of it to cut the cell numbers in half. Chokeberry and bilberry extracts were almost as potent as the corn. And radish extract was the least potent — it took nine times as much to cut cell growth in half.
The study also looked at rats induced with colon cancer cells that had anthocyanin extracts from either bilberries or chokeberries every day. They are most often used as flavorings or to make jams and juices. The extracts reduced the signs of colon tumors by 70 and 60 percent respectively.
The researchers are continuing to study how anthocyanins contribute to the potential health benefits of food and how changes to the compounds may affect the body’s ability to use them.
SOURCE: American Chemical Society 234th National Meeting in Boston, Mass., Aug. 19-23, 2007