Blueberries may inhibit development of cancer

At the University of Illinois, cancer researcher May Ann Smith, Ph.D. and and Dr. Keith Singletary showed that a flavonoid component in wild blueberries (proanthocyanidin) inhibits an enzyme involved in the promotion stage of cancer.

Dr Smith applied extracts from wild blueberries, cultivated blueberries and bilberries (the European cousin of the wild blueberry) to living cells at various stages in cancer development. Wild blueberries exhibited the greatest anticancer activity of all the berries.

Meanwhile researchers from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, have concluded that Wild Blueberry compounds have the potential to attack all stages of cancer -- initiation, promotion and proliferation.

According to the study, different types of Wild Blueberry phenolic compounds are active during different stages of cancer, resulting in a broad spectrum of potential cancer-fighting benefits.

"Wild Blueberry compounds offer a multi-pronged attack against cancer," said Dr. Mary Ann Lila, Ph.D., lead researcher.

"What makes it so intriguing is that in addition to free radical scavenging, Wild Blueberries contain other natural components that are simultaneously inhibiting cancer-promoting enzymes and blocking the growth of tumor cells. How these compounds get into the body and the mechanics of how they work is the next frontier."

Original news summary: (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050414/neth019.html?.v=5)

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