Discover the cancer-fighting power of raspberries

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer 

(NaturalNews) A preliminary study out of Clemson University (CU) in South Carolina has found that raspberries are a powerful weapon against cancer. Researchers there say that, in tests, raspberry extracts successfully destroyed about 90 percent of stomach, colon, and breast cancer cells.

Raspberries are rich in powerful antioxidants, which are known to be powerful cancer fighters. But the research team from the CU Department of Nursing believe that some other substance in raspberries is also responsible for their anti-cancer effect. 

For their study, the team tested the effects of an extract of Meeker red raspberries, a popular U.S. variety of the fruit. Compared to an ascorbic acid (vitamin C) solution with moreantioxidants, the raspberry extract proved to be eight times more effective, clearly indicating that some other substance is responsible for the destruction of cancer cells.

For breast cancer cells, however, the team found that common antioxidants are about half as effective as raspberries at eliminating cancer cells. But in all cases, the combination of the raspberries' antioxidants and other cancer-fighting substances proved to be the most effective of any other substance tested.

A 2009 study published in the American Association for Cancer Research journal Cancer Prevention Research found that specific antioxidants in black raspberries known as anthocyanins effectively inhibit esophageal cancer cell growth and trigger apoptosis, the death of existing cancer cells (http://www.naturalnews.com/025395_c...).

"[Raspberries] contain ellagic acid that laboratory studies have shown may help prevent cancers of the skin, bladder, lung, esophagus, and breast," writes Elaine Magee in her book Food Synergy: Unleash Hundreds of Powerful Healing Food Combinations to Fight Disease and Live Well.

Raspberries are also known to fight leukemia, oral cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers, and high cholesterol (http://www.naturalnews.com/raspberr...).

Sources for this story include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/... 

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNew...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...