Food & Function Blog

Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related mortalities in humans across the world.  The disease is one influenced by several factors including diet, environment and smoking.  Previous studies into the effects of diet on this disease have indicated an inverse relationship between consumption of fruits and vegetables and the risk of developing colon cancer. 

In this study, Andriana Kaliora and colleagues from Harokopio University and Corinthian Raisins Cooperative SKOS A.S.E., Greece, have looked at the impact of the total phenolic content from raisins and sultanas on colon cancer cells.  Extracts from both raisins and sultanas showed DPPH scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner, and both suppressed cell proliferation.  Methanol extracts of the sultanas and raisins exhibited anti-radical activity in vitro and cancer preventative efficacy on colon cancer cells, with sultanas having slightly higher activity.

The authors attribute the beneficial properties of the raisins and sultanas from this region to their high phenolic content.

This article is free to access until the 4th February 2013!

Chemopreventive properties of raisins originating from Greece in colon cancer cells, Aggeliki M. Kountouri, Aristea Gioxari, Evangelia Karvela, Andriana C. Kaliora, Michalis Karvelas and Vaios T. Karathanos, Food Funct., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30259D

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