TUESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Blueberries, already
touted as a super food because they may protect against
The study showed that a natural compound called pterostilbene -- found in blueberries and other fruits -- helped prevent pre-cancerous colon lesions in rats.
"Pterostilbene is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent
that is mostly found in blueberries and blackberries," said study
leader Bandaru Reddy, a research professor at Rutgers University's
Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for
The study was conducted by researchers at Rutgers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The findings were presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Chicago.
Colon cancer is one of the major cancers in Western countries, and this study is one of the first to show pterostilbene's potential to fight it, Reddy said.
For the pilot study, the researchers gave 18 rats a compound called azoxymethane, a chemical that induces colon cancer.
Half of the rats were then fed a
After eight weeks, the rats who were fed pterostilbene had 57
percent fewer pre-cancerous lesions in their colon (called
preneoplastic lesions) compared to the other group. Ingesting
pterostilbene also reduced colonic cell
The next step is to further test pterostilbene in animals to see if it can prevent tumors. Only then will human trials be possible, Reddy said.
