The Benefits Of Berries

Several studies show that people who eat diets high in fruits and vegetables have lower cancer rates. Now a large body of research suggests that berries may be among the most potent cancer-fighting fruits.

In numerous laboratory studies, researchers at Ohio State University have found that black raspberries inhibit the development of oral, esophageal and colon cancers in rats. Some human studies have also suggested a benefit from berry consumption. In one small study of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, a genetic condition that raises risk for colon cancer, patients given black raspberry extract had up to 59 percent fewer rectal polyps than those taking a placebo; the findings were published in November's Cancer Prevention Research journal. Another study showed black raspberry powder reduced symptoms for patients with Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition.

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Comments

[blueskybigstar]

03:57 PM on 01/24/2009

Obama should subsidize these healthy foods and tax the shht out of the unhealthy foods.

[DennyCrane]

10:56 AM on 01/26/2009

Our government subsidies are a big part of why Americans are so unhealthy. Corn and soy growers get huge subsidies. The result is they have more crop than we need and turn it into things like high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Meanwhile, fruits and veggies aren't cheap and, for too many families, luxury items. I hope Obama restructures farm subsidies, but I don't see it happening for two reasons. One is that the Department of Agriculture is now headed by former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack. How can we expect him to go against the interests of his own home state? Second, even though Obama has vowed to get rid of lobbyists' influence, the fact is that lobbyists for corn, soy and dairy have a major foothold in Washington. And like big tobacco, they have more money than God.

[samandally]

07:53 AM on 01/28/2009

All a person has to do is read the labels and avoid these ingredients. I buy a three pound bag of frozen berries at Sams for $8.00, great buy and good for you also.

[blueskybigstar]

03:54 PM on 01/24/2009

Black raspberries are the wonder food of today. If you rub it on sunburns or cancer, it goes away. My friend had skin cancer. He drank it and rubbed it on his sore and it immediately went away.

[Einstein44]

11:46 AM on 01/24/2009

I have my daily blueberries with Cherios and soy milk...Let me tell you,it has made a vast difference in my eating habits.

[djgonebad]

09:31 PM on 01/23/2009

We keep berries in the house all the time; plus, we planted some bushes in the garden last spring; should be producing this summer. On top of that, we cook based upon the Mediterranean diet daily, my wife is Lebanese.

[charm123]

06:26 PM on 01/23/2009

Finally, something I like to eat that isn't going to kill me. And it's actually good for me too. Bonus.

[RichardBaxterMD]

03:48 PM on 01/23/2009

No surprise here, but the backstory on this is interesting. We go back to the Mediterranean diet and the original findings that diets high in fruits and vegetables appeared to protect against cancer and other degenerative diseases such as atheroscleosis. What ensued was a huge detour because it was assumed that antioxidant vitamins (A,C, and E) were responsible. However, numerous large-scale clinical trials have found no benefit to vitamin supplementation in terms of disease risk reduction, and more recently it has been reported that it may actually do more harm than good. In revisiting the question of what was in the diets, researchers observed that daily consumption of wine appeared to be important. It is now well-established that antioxidants called polyphenols provide much (not all) of the health benefits, and this is a huge and very active area of research. Berries have the same polyphenol molecules, so as I said, no surprise.

[amaycatbaker]

08:18 AM on 01/26/2009

Is that why I get sick taking the prenatal vitamins? I eat a ton of fruit and veggies, tried to add the vitamins and get sick ever time. Thank you for this information, MD.