Several berries may help prevent cancer

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 10 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers, in a study of rodents, found black raspberries -- as well as red raspberries, blueberries and strawberries -- and inhibit esophageal cancer.

Researchers from Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute also found more expensive varieties like noni, acai and wolfberries inhibit the growth of cancer as well as black raspberries.

Gary Stoner of the Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center said he has studied the potency of black raspberries against esophageal cancer and perhaps against cancer of the mouth, colon and rectum.

"The public has had difficulty at times of the year obtaining black raspberries and they've asked me whether other berry types might also be cancer preventive," Stoner said in a statement.

The researchers turned all the berries into freeze-dried powder and mixed them into the diets of rodents.

"It appears that they all have some cancer-preventive potential, and that there may be nothing 'magical' about black raspberries, that other berry types are also effective," Stoner said.

The findings are published in the journal Pharmaceutical Research.