Strawberries may help stop cancer
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by Aimee Keenan-Greene
Eating strawberries may cut the risk of esophageal cancer, according to a new study.
More than 16,000 new cases of esophageal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Now Scientists say strawberries may slow the progression of precancerous lesion in the esophagus and could be an alternative, or work in concert with chemopreventive drugs, to prevent esophageal cancer.
Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated by the National Cancer Institute, and the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute studied 36 participants who ate about two ounces of freeze-dried strawberries daily for six months. The researchers obtained biopsy specimens before and after the strawberry consumption.
The results, 29 out of 36 participants experienced a decrease in histological grade of the precancerous lesions.
Dr. Tong Chen, lead author, and assistant professor in the division of medical oncology, department of internal medicine at Ohio State says, "We found that daily consumption of strawberries suppressed various biomarkers involved in esophageal carcinogenesis, including cell proliferation, inflammation and gene transcription. We concluded from this study that six months of strawberry treatment is safe and easy to consume. In addition, our preliminary data suggests that strawberries decreased histological grade of precancerous lesions and reduced cancer-related molecular events".
Previously published research by Chen and colleagues found that freeze-dried strawberries significantly inhibited tumor development in the esophagus of rats.
Esophageal cancer is the third most common gastrointestinal cancer and the sixth most frequent cause of cancer death in the world, said Chen, who also holds a doctorate in public health.
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma makes up 95 percent of cases of esophageal cancer worldwide, the authors report.
The survival rate of this type of esophageal cancer is very low, with only 10 percent of patients living 5 years after diagnosis.
Risk factors for developing esophageal cancer include tobacco and alcohol use, poor diets lacking fruits and vegetables, high intakes of salty food and of food contaminated with various mycotoxins, deficiencies in dietary vitamins and minerals, and thermal injuries due to the consumption of hot beverages.
Funding for this study also came from the California Strawberry Commission.
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