Black raspberries may offer a surprising solution for preventing oral cancers. This form of malignancy kills over 7,000 people annually. The usual treatment involves surgery to remove abnormal cellular growth before it turns into life-threatening cancer. Even with such surgical intervention, however, recurrences are common. About one in three patients suffers a recurrence within a year of such preventive surgery.
Now a researcher at the Ohio State University has developed an oral gel that contains the dark pigments, anthocyanins, from black raspberries. These compounds interfere with abnormal cell growth and reduce the risk of a recurrence. Other strategies to prevent oral cancer include avoiding tobacco products, limiting alcohol consumption, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and getting vaccinated against human papilloma virus. Seeing a dentist once or twice a year can help identify any unusual looking lesions at an early stage.
[Pharmaceutical Research, June, 2011]
