Goji berries ‘can help fight skin cancer’
By ANIMonday, February 1, 2010
LONDON - Goji berries can significantly reduce the risk of skin cancer, experts have claimed.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the superfruit berry lycium barbarum, also known as wolfberry, has long been recognized for various therapeutic properties based on its antioxidant and immune-boosting effects, reports The Daily Express.
And now, scientists at University of Sydney have found that liquid containing just five per cent goji berry juice can reduce the inflammatory oedema (fluid retention) of the sunburn reaction in hairless mice.
To reach the conclusion, scientists compared the effects of Himalayan Goji Juice, containing 89 per cent of the juice and eight per cent other fruit juices added for flavour - grape, pear, apple and pear puree - with those of JustJuice apple and pear from Woolworths.
The study has been published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences.
Dr Vivienne Reeve, of the University of Sydney, said: “Goji berry juice might prove useful in preventing skin cancer development in susceptible humans.”
But Dr Alison Ross, of Cancer Research UK, said: “This study in mice does not provide evidence that drinking goji berry juice can offer any protection against the skin-damaging effects of excessive sun exposure in people.” (ANI)
