Berries have been part of the human diet for many years and
only recently have their potential health benefits have been greatly
understood. At present, there is a genuine consensus amongst most individuals,
both academic and non-academic, that berries are good for an individual’s
health due to their phytochemical composition [1]. Research in past years has
identified that berries contain a number of phytochemicals linked to good
health. Phytochemicals include anthocyanins, flavonols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins.
These phytochemicals tend to be bioactive and as such have a wide range of
biological properties such as they are; anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic,
antioxidants and cancer preventative.
For a number of years now, the general health benefits of
fruit consumption has been widely established. In 1991 for example, Steinmetz
and Potter [2] alluded to the fact that we as humans have adapted over time to
a diet which regularly involves the consumption of fruit (including berries)
and vegetables. Furthermore, it was hypothesised by Steinmetz and Potter [2]
that a reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption could potentially lend
itself to an increase in the likelihood of cancer development. It is only in
recent years, however, that studies such as that by Neto [3] and Stoner et al.
[4] have begun to investigate the cancer preventative effects of these berry
phytochemicals.
It is common knowledge that diet plays a key role in cancer
risk both positively and negatively, for example negative effects include; the
associations between cooking and the development of carcinogens, studies
linking ‘bad fats’ with increased cancer
prevalence and evidence to suggest excess meat consumption
increases risk. On the other hand, positive effects include: the beneficial
relationship of berry consumption and a lowered occurrence of cancer, the
positive association of dietary fibre and reduced risk of colon cancer and some
evidence to suggest that consumption of immune-boosting spices and herbs can
lower certain types of cancers. This review focuses in particular on the effect
of a diet rich in berries and the suggested beneficial link to cancer risk
which has been the centre of attention in many recent cancer related studies.
To begin with, it is important to initially understand what
cancer is and the possible mechanisms of cancer prevention associated with
berry consumption. Cancer is defined by the National Cancer Institute [5] as
‘diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade
other tissues’. It is well known that there are a wide range of factors which
directly cause cancer and/or contribute to the risk of developing cancer and
its associated health issues. As cancer is a multi-factorial disease,
understanding how berries and their components directly affect the risk of
cancer is somewhat difficult. A number of possible mechanisms by which cancer
is said to be prevented or by which the risk of developing a cancerous tumour
is lowered have been identified in the past two decades. Increasing research
into berries and cancer has lead to the identification of a number of
beneficial mechanisms which are generally based around: vitamins, minerals,
fibre and berry bioactives.
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