While daffodils were anything but tasty (see my previous blog entry for the reference), blackberries are one of my favorites. And now these delicious fruit might prevent colon cancer, according to the public release "Black raspberries may prevent colon cancer, study finds."
Black raspberries have anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers, in this recent study gave experimental mice a high calorie, high fat diet (equivalent to a Western diet) and measured the amount tumor/inflammatory development. In mice that were also supplemented with 10% freeze-dried black raspberries, tumor number and cancer incidence was greatly decreased.
Does this mean we should eat a whole lot of black raspberries? Too early really too say. These mice model systems are very artificial and might not always equate completely to the real world. Clinical studies will need to be performed to determine the validity and safety in regards to the anti-cancer effect of black raspberries in humans.
But, in my opinion, if you enjoy raspberries, eat them, and they might have a positive effect, but don't think that these raspberries are the key for cancer prevention. Prevention really is likely due to a overall good eating habits and not a miracle food.
The more exciting aspects of these raspberries, or any other food product with a similar anti-cancer effect, is the possibility of finding a novel compound which could be developed into a new effective chemotherapy.
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