Strawberries best at slowing some cancers

Strawberries may be the most effective of commonly consumed berries at slowing the growth of some cancer cells, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, tested extracts of six berries - strawberries, raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cranberries - against human oral, breast, colon and prostate tumor cell lines in cell cultures. All the berry extracts slowed the cancer cell growth in each cell line studied, and this protective effect grew stronger as berry concentrations were increased. Strawberries were strongest against colon and oral cancers.

"The strongest California strawberry effects were seen against slowing the growth of two types of oral cancer cells and one type of colon cancer cells," said Navindra Seeram, assistant director of UCLA Center for Human Nutrition and lead author of the study, adding: "in colon cancer cells, strawberries were also found to be potent inducers of programmed cell death, called apoptosis, which is an important mechanism of cancer suppression."