Berries and Cancer

Oregon blueberries, courtesy of the Oregon Blueberry Commission

Every week over the past year, the Berry Doctor's Journal has been published as an objective, science-based voice for the nutrient and antioxidant food values of berries.

Continuing this week, we mark our anniversary by republishing the 3 most popular essays as picked by an automated web counter tracking hits and searches.

The gold medal winner, #1, follows

** [NOTE: for additional background, see Wikipedia links with this color] **

One of the most noticeable stories in berry science during 2006-7 was

the growing evidence for anti-cancer activity by berry antioxidants called phenolics.

Four of the top 10 medical research findings over the past year

discussed this topic. Click here for a review (publications numbered 1, 3, 7, 8)

Berries contain antioxidants - chemicals in food usually associated with colors or pigments - that preliminary science indicates may provide health benefits.

Let's focus on research results showing how

berry phenolics may stop the onset of cancer.

Many of the mechanisms below are discussed by Wikipedia

as the "molecular biology" of how cancer starts (click!)

NOTE: all of the mechanisms below are preliminary research findings

requiring years of additional research including clinical trials

before they can be accepted as applicable to humans

Berry antioxidants may stop cancer by

1) stimulating apoptosis ("eh-poe-toe-sis", the rate of natural cell death),

implying that berry phenolics cause cancer cells to die at an accelerated rate.

(Apoptosis is a clumsy scientific word with increasing use in public media, particularly concerning

possible causes of cancer. Think of it as the natural turnover of cells growing and shedding, like skin cells or hair. Reduced apoptosis in tumor cells would allow them to live longer and support ongoing cancer.

In current preliminary research, berry phenolic antioxidants seem to

stimulate apoptosis, causing cancer cells to die faster)

2) inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, an effect showing that berry phenolics

reduce the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread

3) interfering with cell-to-cell signaling and so may

stop mechanisms that control growth of tumor cells

4) inhibiting mutations of DNA caused by oxidation reactions

and so prevent the initiating event for cancer cells to form

5) increasing DNA fragmentation of tumor cells (may be first event in apoptosis)

6) scavenging or quenching oxygen radicals that induce

some of the above mechanisms

7) suppressing cancer-induction enzymes, such as one called

"mitogen-activated protein kinase"

8) decreasing the invasiveness of cancer cells;

especially inhibitory are specific anthocyanins

9) inhibiting tumor cell promotion and development

Although none of these effects has been proven to exist in humans,

these studies are cutting-edge evidence for how antioxidant-rich foods

like berries in the diet may be beneficial against a major disease.

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More on the potential benefit of including berries in your diet

in the fight against cancer !

Click here to read new 2007 research.

Evergreen blackberries (Rubus ursinus), rich in phenolic pigments

Courtesy of Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission

How do various berries rank in pigment density and antioxidant strength?

This list isn't official, but is a reasonable guide -- click to view!

Any from this list would be good to add to your diet.

Common berries not on the list, but also good sources of pigment antioxidants,

to be included in daily diets are