Frozen blackcurrants ensure you have the goodness all-year round

Frozen blackcurrants ensure you have the goodness all-year round

Blackcurrants can help to reduce one of the most common types of cancer, according to new research. 

Scientists discovered that phenolic compounds found in the little berry have a specific anti-cancer activity that work to reduce colon cancer.

A recent study showed that the majority of phenolic compounds found in blackcurrants which are not absorbed at the beginning of digestion in the small intestine and therefore pass on to the colon, are capable of inhibiting colon cancer cells from developing.

A truly British effort, with scientists from Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, focused on blackcurrant extracts similar to those produced in the intestine at the beginning of digestion and then after faecal fermentation.  The studies, in a model colon cancer system, revealed that phenolic compounds from blackcurrants retain their cancer fighting properties after they pass through the gastrointestinal tract. This work indicates that the compounds may therefore inhibit the survival of cancer cells in the colon.

Professor Derek Stewart of the James Hutton Institute, the scientific representative for the Blackcurrant Foundation, says: “This study adds to the growing evidence on how dietary factors can help prevent the development of colon cancer. This research shows that blackcurrants at levels available in a normal portion size, deliver polyphenol components into the colon where they may provide significant effects on human colon cancer as demonstrated by these model studies”.

With the Blackcurrant season upon us, there is no better time to stock up and reap the abundance of health benefits that this mini marvel has to offer.

Thanks to the high levels of anthocyanins and Vitamin C, two types of important disease fighting antioxidants, blackcurrants have been suggested to maintain ageing and brain health, urinary tract health and healthy vision as well as colon cancer.

Blackcurrants have long been heralded as a superfruit, commonly renowned for their rich anthocyanin content which has been proven to aid a number of pharmacological effects including alleviation of chronic oxidative stress and inflammation.

British blackcurrants are grown and bred especially for their high level of anthocyanins, which gives them their deep purple colour, and whilst they can only be found fresh during their season (July-September), their health benefits can be reaped all year round in the form of blackcurrant juices, cordials, yoghurts and frozen fruit.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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