Black raspberries might help prevent bowel cancer, suggest U.S. researchers.
The North American berries are a more intensely flavoured variety and are rich in antioxidants (disease-fighting compounds).
Previous studies have suggested that eating black raspberries regularly could reduce the risks of bowel cancer.
In a new study, the Medical College of Wisconsin tested the berries on mice with ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory condition that’s a possible precursor to bowel cancer).
One group of mice was fed black raspberries, another were put on a normal diet, and ulceration in the colon was measured (an indicator of the risk of cancer).
The results found the berries prevented ulceration by blocking the signals that instruct healthy cells to become malignant.
