Blueberries May Help Curb Colon Cancer

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The next step is to further test pterostilbene in animals to see if it can prevent tumors. Only then will human trials be possible, Reddy said.

Jon A. Story, a professor of foods and nutrition at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., called the findings interesting but preliminary.

"This model for colon cancer is a good place to start," he said. "But the fact remains that chemical induction of cellular changes may not tell us much concerning the development of human tumors. More models are needed to get a better idea of this relationship."

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Still, it can't hurt to add berries to your diet, added James Joseph, chief of the neuroscience laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston.

"Eat berries regardless of this study," he said. "There's lots of other data out there on the health benefits of berries. In general, be sure to eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, especially colorful ones that are high in antioxidants. And iceberg lettuce doesn't count."

Other papers scheduled to be presented at the ACS meeting also demonstrated fruits' potential anticancer benefits.

One study, by researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, found that chemicals from grape-seed extract might prevent sunlight-induced skin cancer in mice when used as a dietary supplement.

Another study from Ohio State University found that rodents whose diets were supplemented with black raspberries had up to an 80 percent reduction in colon tumors and a 60 percent reduction in tumors of the esophagus.

And researchers in Germany were to report on a study that found drinking two to three glasses of cloudy (or unfiltered) apple juice a day may curb colon cancer in mice.

Story stressed that people should not rely on any one food to prevent colon cancer.

"Recommendations concerning colon cancer prevention need to include all parts of the diet, not a single component," he said.

More information

There's more on antioxidants at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

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