Blueberries Fight Colon Cancer
Embargoed: Sunday, March 25, 8:00 a.m., Central Time
Length � 1:04
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You�ve heard it a million times: Eat your fruits and vegetables.
At the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, scientists from Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that now there�s even more reason to follow this advice.
They found an antioxidant in blueberries that helps prevent colon cancer. It�s called pterostilbene [ter-oh-STILL-bean]. It�s similar to resveratrol [res�VEER�ah�trahl], the antioxidant in grapes and red wine that�s also recognized for anticancer properties.
Rats that were fed pterostilbene [ter-oh-STILL-bean] had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous lesions in their colons, compared to rats not given the compound.
The scientists believe the antioxidant could be developed into a pill with potentially fewer side effects than some commercial drugs currently used to prevent colon cancer.
I�m Marvin Coyner in Washington for the American Chemical Society � improving people�s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.