Black Raspberries Fight Cancer
Reported July 18, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) — You might want to reach for these tasty berries on your next visit to the supermarket. New research shows black raspberries may actually fight certain types of cancer.
It’s a typical morning for Dan Harris. The kids are ready for school, and he’s making his morning shake. “Every single day during the morning — you know between seven 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. — we just come down, and it’s becoming a habit,” he says. “It’s almost like an extra part of breakfast.”
Harris is part of a study to test whether black raspberries can slow or prevent certain types of cancer. Harris has Barrett’s esophagus — a condition where pre-cancerous growths line the esophagus and can potentially turn into cancer.
Each shake is 45 grams of freeze-dried black raspberries — equal to one pound of whole berries. “It’s kind-of like drinking a packet of seeds,” Harris says.
The Ohio State cancer researcher Gary Stoner, Ph.D., in Columbus says different berry variations are being tested on oral and colon cancer patients. They’re also being tested on those at risk. Early studies show the berries slow tumor growth and can significantly reduce cancer risk altogether.
“We do know from epidemiologic studies that vegetable and fruit consumption is protective against cancer, and from our work, we would suggest berries be one of those helpings, at least two or three times a week,” Stoner says. For Harris, it’s every day, but he hopes that will just give him a little extra protection.
Stoner says raspberries contain several hundred nutritious compounds. For now, his research is focused on black raspberries, but other berries including red raspberries, strawberries and blueberries all have similar protective effects.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Michelle Gailiun
Program Manager
The Ohio State University Medical Center
1018 Clinic Bldg.
456 West 10th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43120
(614) 293-3737
[email protected]
http://medicalcenter.osu.edu
