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# Black raspberries prevent esophageal cancer - study
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/black-raspberries-prevent-esophageal-cancer-study/
- Published: 2014-05-22T17:22:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:47:07.000Z
- Description: Rats given a chemical carcinogen then fed freeze-dried black raspberries, their anthocyanins, or the metabolite protocatechuic acid all developed fewer esophageal tumors and less inflammation. By week 35 the whole freeze-dried berries outperformed the isolated compounds.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Thursday May 22, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in Cancer Prevention Research suggests eating black raspberries often may help prevent esophageal cancer.

Gary D. Stoner at Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and colleagues tested black raspberries and their metabolites and found rats eating a diet containing 6.1% of freeze dried back raspberries or polyphenolic anthocyanins from the fruits or their metabolite - protocatechuic acid effectively prevented the development of chemical-induced tumors.

Diets with freeze dried black raspberries or polyphenolic anthocyanins isolated from the fruits have been known to inhibit the development of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced esophageal cancer in rats, according to the background of the report.

For the current study, rats were injected with NMBA three times a week for five weeks to induce esophageal cancer and then fed control diet or experimental diets that either contains 6.1% black raspberries, or anthocyanins-rich fraction isolated from black raspberries, or protocatechuic acid - a microbial metabolite of black raspberry anthocyanins.

Animals were examined at weeks 15, 25, and 35 to count preneoplastic lesions and tumors in the esophagus. All experimental diets were effective in preventing esophageal tumorigenesis and reducing the expression of a cytokine called Pentraxin-3.

At week 35, all experimental diets were still effective at preventing tumorigenesis although freeze dried black raspberries were significantly more effective than other experimental agents.

All experimental diets prevented inflammation in the esophagus by reducing biomarkers including COX-2, iNOS, p-NF-κB, sEH) and cytokine (PTX3).

The researchers concluded "Overall, our data suggest that BRB, their component AC (anthocyansins) and PCA (protocatechuic acid) inhibit NMBA-induced esophageal tumorigenesis, at least in part, by their inhibitory effects on genes associated with inflammation."

The preventive effect against the development of esophageal cancer may be due largely to the antioxidative properties of black raspberries. Because of this, eating black raspberries may also prevent chronic diseases that can be prevented by other antioxidants. (By David Liu / Photo credit: wikipedia.org)