Strawberries Join the Fight Against Cancer

Strawberries are high on a select list of super-healthy foods that virtually everyone likes. Now comes news that they are much more important to our health than previously thought. A recent study done at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center on freeze-dried strawberries found that the berries were extremely effective in slowing the development of precancerous esophageal lesions.

Anything that helps the fight against esophageal cancer is very welcome news. Not only have the number of cases been growing, it's also a very deadly cancer.

Berries Bring Reversals

The research (which was sponsored by the California Strawberry Commission was done in China, where the incidence of esophageal cancer--the type known as squamous cell carcinoma-is extremely high. Americans more typically suffer from a different type of esophageal cancer, known as adenocarcinoma. Lead researcher Tong Chen, MD, PhD, assistant professor in medical oncology at Ohio State, said that strawberries may similarly affect the type of cancer common in the West because they impact some genes common to both types.

In Dr. Chen's study, in which each participant ate about two ounces of freeze-dried strawberries a day, 29 of the 36 participants-about 80%-experienced at least some reversal of lesion progress, with some moderate lesions becoming mild and some mild ones reverting to normal. Dr. Chen said, "Our study is important because it shows that strawberries may be an alternative to-or may work together with-chemopreventive drugs to help stop esophageal cancer. But we will need to test this in randomized placebo-controlled trials in the future."

Big Power In A Little Berry

As a cancer fighter, strawberries have a powerful combination of molecular components, said Dr. Chen. They contain antioxidant polyphenols, of course, and also vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, calcium, selenium and zinc. She pointed out that you can buy all of these in supplemental form, but in strawberries there seems to be a synergistic effect among the components that makes them more potent than the individual components are on their own. Freeze-drying the fruit takes it to an even more impressive level as a nutrient powerhouse—this process removes water from the fruit, leaving a much denser nutritional content within. In the case of strawberries, which are 90% water, when freeze-dried, the end product is 10 times more nutritious than the equivalent weight of fresh berries.

Freeze-dried strawberries are widely available now in supermarkets and health-food stores. This is one rare case in which a processed version of a food might be more healthful than the natural version-probably because freeze-drying takes out only water and adds no flavorings or sugar.

Aspirin Cuts Cancer Deaths Up to 54%

According to recent research, taking low-dose aspirin daily for five years decreased gastrointestinal cancer deaths by up to 54% and overall cancer mortality by 34%. The longer aspirin is used, the greater the benefit. The mechanism by which aspirin helps prevent cancer deaths is not yet fully understood.

Stop Pancreatic Cancer Before It Starts

Pancreatic cancer can sometimes be stopped before it starts. Most pancreatic cysts are benign—but up to 20% become malignant. The cysts usually are detected when CT or other scans are performed for other reasons. Additional testing can help determine whether surgery is indicated. Patients who have a cyst and/or a strong family history of pancreatic cancer-for example, a parent or sibling who has or had the disease—should have regular imaging tests.