Ellagic Acid may be one of the most potent ways to fight Cancer.  Ellagic Acid, a phenolic compound, inhibits the growth of cancer cells and arrests the growth in persons with a genetic predisposition for the disease.

Ellagic Acid Study - The Hollings Cancer Institute at the University of South Carolina has conducted a double blind study on a group of 500 cervical cancer patients.  This study has excited everyone.  Nine years of study have shown that a natural product called Ellagic Acid is causing G-arrest within 48 hours (inhibiting and stopping mitosis-cancer cell division), and apoptosis (normal cell death) within 72 hours, for breast, pancreas, esophageal, skin, colon and prostate cancer cells.

Ellagic Acid clinical tests on cultured human cells also show that Ellagic Acid prevents the destruction of the p53 gene by cancer cells.  Additional studies suggest that one of the mechanisms by which Ellagic Acid inhibits mutagenesis and carcinogenesis is by forming adducts with DNA, thus masking binding sites to be occupied by the mutagen or carcinogen.  Ellagic Acid can be found in different foods.  The Hollings Clinic has identified red raspberries as the strongest source.

  How Important is Ellagic Acid?

The Medical University of South Carolina considers the findings regarding ellagic acid powerful enough to initiate a study of human, female volunteers infected with the human papilloma virus in their cervix to determine if this will decrease their chance of developing cervical cancer.  This study will be ongoing for approximately three years.

Dr. Nixon's work at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Institute determined that ellagic acid could kill cervical cells infected with the papilloma virus.  It is known that the human papilloma viruses 16 and 18 probably cause most of the cervical cancers treated today.

The information regarding ellagic acid causing death of the cells that may result in cancer has prompted a study of high risk patients for developing colon cancer.  This study is also underway at the Hollings Cancer Institute.  Individuals with intestinal polyps that cause cancer are being given raspberry material to see if this will reduce their chance of cancer.  The initial findings are encouraging, but not yet conclusive.

The University of Colorado will also be conducting a similar study regarding colon cancer prevention.  Many of these studies are funded by grants from the United States government because it is believed that simple ways of reducing cancer rates will result in less expense in treating our aging population.