Can raspberries inhibit oral cancer growth?

Researchers from the University of Kentucky (UK) and the Ohio State University (OSU) are attempting to wield the cancer-inhibiting properties of black raspberries to slow down tumor growth in oral cancer.

Researchers and natural foods advocates believe the pulp of black raspberries contains two substances with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the ability to slow tumor growth–anthocyanin and ellagic acid. Freeze-drying the berries and grounding them into powder increases the concentration of cancer-preventive substances tenfold, says OSU researcher Gary Stoner. When fed to test animals, the powder appeared to inhibit the development of esophageal, colon and oral cancers.

A raspberry-based medication made from freeze-dried black raspberries will enter trials this summer. If effective, it could vastly improve the prognosis for oral cancer suffers. Oral cancer causes approximately 8,000 deaths nationally each year.