There’s more good news about berries, dark-colored berries especially. Berries contain antioxidants and vitamins that have been shown to inhibit the development of cancer of the esophagus, colon and oral cavity in animals. Now researchers want to see if they have the same effect in humans.

Berries contain phenolic compounds with high-antioxidant potential. Phenols called anthocyanins give berries their color. Dark berries, such as black raspberries and blackberries have a higher content of these anthocyanins.

Scientists at Ohio State University are conducting the research. This food-based approach to cancer prevention has many advantages, including the absence of toxicity of berries to humans.

Participants in the study are patients with early stage colon cancer will consume the equivalent of 2½ cups of black raspberries per day for 2 to 4 weeks. The patients have all undergone colonscopy prior to the study and tissue samples of their tumors taken. Following the study, physicians will again remove tumor tissue for study to see if the berry treatment had any effect on cell growth and tumor development.

OSU Studies Berries in Colon Cancer Prevention

In a previous article we discussed the benefits of Vitamin D, the Sunshine Vitamin. The most effective way to get Vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight. We are also well aware of the dangers of over-exposure to sunlight and the increased risk of skin cancer.

But now researchers at Stanford University are saying a little Vitamin D-generating sunlight may be just the prescription for melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

UVB rays cause Vitamin D3 to be generated in the skin. Through contact with various enzymes in the liver and kidneys, the body turns D3 into an active compound that signals T-cells to migrate to the skin’s epidermis where they stand on guard against infection and even cancer.

Although sunlight is still considered to be the most avoidable cause of skin cancer, it appears that getting the right amount of light could actually strengthen the immune system. However, avoiding intense sun is still recommended.

“So, avoiding intense sun, protecting yourself when you’re out in intense sun — that’s still our [cancer society] recommendation, and this is not going to change that,” said Martin Weinstock, chairman of the skin advisory group of the American Cancer Society and professor of dermatology and community health at Brown University.

A Little Sun Might Shield Against Skin Cancer

Whole fruit and vegetables have been touted for their roles in cancer and coronary heart disease prevention. Now a European study says that 100% fruit and vegetable juices are just as beneficial.

Based on a review of the literature, the study determined that the beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables come not just from the fiber but also from the antioxidants which are present in juices.

The study does not recommend one juice over another but applies only to 100 percent juice. The study was published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition (2006).

The old stand-by drug, aspirin, has been replaced in many medicine cabinets by other pain-killers and headache and fever reducers. Due to its effect on the lining of the stomach and the risk of bleeding and ulcers, aspirin is generally taken regularly only by those with a risk of heart disease.

But researchers have found evidence in test-tube experiments that aspirin has angiogenesis-blocking power, that is, it keeps cancers from creating the blood vessels they need to grow. They caution that these tests have not been done in humans yet and that no one should start taking aspirin to ward off cancer.

Aspirin May Be Newest Cancer Drug – WebMD