• 7/1/2006
  • Columbus, OH
  • staff
  • TheWBALChannel.com

If you’re in the habit of skipping dessert to try and eat healthier, you may want to reconsider.

Scientists continue to find more evidence that sweet, mouth-watering berries are more than a summertime treat. They’re also potent cancer fighters, and whether it’s in a cobbler, a pie or fresh off the vine, there is one berry in particular that’s worth the indulgence.

Mike Melson has an appreciation for the past. He runs an antique store, and looks back fondly on the warm summer days of his childhood.

“My grandmother had the guy we called the berry man that came to the house during the berry season, and we bought our fresh raspberries straight off the berry farm,” Melson said.

Dr. Gary Stoner at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center said berries are packed with ellagic acid, which helps give them their color and their power.

“We found that there’s a little bit of it in many fruits, but the most abundant amount was in berries. As it turns out, the highest amount was in black raspberries,” said Stoner.

Stoner and his team at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital have found that the more black raspberries we eat, the more they can protect us from developing cancer.

But what about patients like Melson who already have cancer?

“The down side of oral cancer after surgery is that about 20 percent of those individuals in 18 months will come back to the James with another oral cancer,” said Dr. Christopher Weghorst at Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Weghorst has concentrated the berries into tiny lozenges. Each square is equal to 10 berries.

Doctors know they can help prevent cancer, but can they keep it from coming back?

For 6 months, patients like Melson will use a dozen of these lozenges a day to help find out. For the rest of us, simply indulging in more berries more often may be the recipe for prevention.

Black raspberries have been shown to cut the risk of cancer in other areas like the esophagus and the colon. Experts said eating fresh berries and using them in low-fat desserts is a great way to put their cancer-fighting power to use. Blackberries, red raspberries, and strawberries pack a punch as well.