Reports that blueberries may help to prevent bowel cancer have been played down by Cancer Research UK.
US scientists at a conference held by the American Chemical Society claimed that pterostilbene - a natural antioxident found in blueberries - may help prevent the disease.
A total of 18 rats were given the cancer-causing chemical, with nine then fed a normal diet and the other half given the same food supplemented with pterostilbene.
The rats given the antioxidant developed fewer bowel tumours.
Ed Yong, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “While pterostilbene could lower the risk of bowel cancer in rats, it is unclear if it will produce the same benefits in humans.
“More research will help to determine whether this chemical could have a role in the fight against cancer. For the moment, the best advice is to eat a healthy, balanced diet rather than rely on specific ‘superfoods’.”
