• 1/22/2005
  • editorial staff
  • Anticancer Research Journal reported by Cancer Weekly via NewsRx.com

Resveratrol. It may be a mouthful to pronounce, but new research suggests the importance of choosing foods like cranberries that naturally contain this anticancer compound.

Researchers have linked resveratrol to the prevention of a wide variety of types of cancer including:

-Breast Cancer
-Prostate Cancer
-Lymphoma
-Leukemia
-Colon Cancer
-Pancreatic Cancer
-Gastric Cancer
-Melanoma
-Lung Cancer
-Liver Cancer
-Thyroid, Head and Neck Cancers
-Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers

A research team led by Dr. Bharat Aggarwal at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in conjunction with Dr. Navindra Seeram of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine, published their review article in a recent issue of the journal Anticancer Research.

According to Seeram, “We reviewed over seventy previous studies examining resveratrol’s ability to cause cancer cells to stop from spreading and in fact cause cell death in existing cancer cells. Foods containing this compound – like grapes, peanuts, cranberries and other berries – belong in a healthy diet.”

In vitro (studies conducted in a test tube or outside a living organism) and animal studies comprised the majority of the research reviewed by Seeram and Aggarwal, though several of the leukemia studies were in vivo (inside the animal). The research points to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of resveratrol as well.

In addition to helping with cancer prevention, cranberries pack a powerhouse of protective properties that may prevent a number of other conditions. The antiadhesion power of cranberry against the bacteria causing urinary tract infections is well known, and this same mechanism also shows promise against the various bacteria responsible for gum disease and stomach ulcers.

And, the accumulating science regarding heart health benefits due to its extremely high density of various antioxidants further raises cranberry’s profile among healthful foods and beverages.