Red and blue foods 'fight cancer'
Monday, 20 Aug 2007 14:03
Dark fruit could help to target colon cancer
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Red, blue and purple fruits could help to fight colon cancer, US researchers have found.
Compounds known as anthocyanins in these types of fruit give them their colour and were shown to significantly slow the growth of colon cancer cells.
The findings were presented yesterday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
Researchers from the Ohio State University also discovered that making slight alterations to the structure of anthocyanin molecules made them more potent anti-cancer agents.
In laboratory studies on human colon cancer cells the researchers found that anthocyanin pigments from radish and black carrots slowed the growth of cancer cells from 50 to 80 per cent.
Pigments from purple corn and chokeberries completely stopped the growth of cancer cells and killed roughly 20 per cent of the cancer cells while having little effect on healthy cells.
In further studies, rats with colon cancer were fed a daily diet of anthocyanin extracts either from bilberries and chokeberries.
Their colon tumours were shown to be reduced by between 60 and 70 per cent.
Commenting on the findings, lead researcher Monica Giusti said: "Very little anthocyanin is absorbed by the bloodstream, but a large proportion travels through the gastrointestinal tract [GI], where those tissues absorb the compound."
The researchers did not recommend that people should start to eat certain fruit and vegetables as further studies are being conducted to discover how the compounds in dark food target cancer.
"There are more than 600 different anthocyanins found in nature," said Dr Giusti.
"While we know that the concentration of anthocyanins in the GI tract is ultimately affected by their chemical structures, we're just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding how the body absorbs and uses these different structures."
Cancer charities recommend that people exercise and eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables to reduce their risk of cancer.