Strawberries and raspberries are delicious fruits which in addition contains molecules full of anti cancer properties. Recent studies indicate that in the near future, prevention of coloncancermay be accomplished by the effects of these berries anti-inflammatory molecules.

A cancer linked to a lifestyle

Colon cancer represents the second cause of death from cancer across the North American continent, In Canada only, nearly 10,000 deaths are caused by this disease each year. Colon cancer is a cancer that evolved mostly without apparent symptoms, it generally start from a precancerous lesion called an adenomatous polyps or adenoma. Although the occurrence of colorectal cancer is sometimes caused by certain defective genes, it is now established that the progression of adenomas to cancer is in a very large majority strongly influenced by lifestyle, especially eating habits: in practice It is estimated that approximately 75 percent of colon cancers are directly related to the food eaten by industrialized societies (rich in meat and calories but low in Plants). A good example of the pernicious influence of this diet is the dramatic increase in the incidences of colorectal cancer in Japan since the Second World War, the Japanese adoption of Western diets has multiplied by five the frequency of these cancers in that country. The modification of this type of nourishment is an essential prerequisite to achieve a decrease in mortality associated with colon cancer.

Small anti chronic inflammation berries

One of the most serious consequences of the Western diet is the creation of a climate of chronic inflammation inside the organism. This inflammation stimulates the growth of cancer cells, because it disturbs the equilibrium that prevails inside the tissues, enabling these cells to developed new mutations which encourage the evolutions of cancer cells into a mature full fledged cancer. This link between chronic inflammation and cancer is far from being a marginal phenomenon: It is estimated that a cancer in six (15 percent) is a direct consequence of this inflammation process. Recent laboratory work suggests that ellagic acid contained in berries such as strawberries and raspberries gives those berries anti-inflammatory properties which could contribute to preventing the development of many cancers. The work produced by a team of Indian researchers have now confirmed this hypothesis. Using an animal model, these researchers have observed that the addition of ellagic acid in the diet abolished the development of colorectal cancer induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine, a powerful carcinogenic substance. Analysis of tissues from treated animals indicates that this effect of anticancer ellagic acid is due to its inhibitory action towards Proteins NF-_B, an element that controls the production of a wide range of inflammatory factors in particular iNOS COX-2, TNF-_ and IL-6. The reduction of iNOS and COX-2 induced by the ellagic acid is particularly interesting because these two factors are known to play an important role in the progression of colorectal cancer. The strawberries and rasberries season in our local area is at our doors and is not only an excellent opportunity to take maximum advantage of the absolutely exquisite taste of those berries, but also for their incomparable positive impact on health.