Food scientist Rui Hai Liu from Cornell University has been researching cancer fighting compounds in apples. The results show that apples and apple extracts inhibit and kill cancer cells in liver breast and colon cancer. Apples could find a new role in cancer treatment and prevention.
Dr.Liu says, I’m interested in the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and when you look at all the fruits and vegetables we saw the apple was rich in phenolic compounds with potent anti-proliferative properties – it was due to be studied.” Apples are rich in phenols, a class of phytochemicals that can also halt the spread of cancer according to studies. Triterpenoids in apples specifically have cancer fighting properties, found in studies of lab animals.
A study performed this year showed that apple extract slowed breast cancer growth, decreasing levels of cancer causing compounds in lab animals.
For colon cancer, apple extract reduced the chances of cancer spread, protecting from DNA damage and setting up a protective barrier against carcinogens.
Apples could also help boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Cancer can become resistance to treatment with chemotherapeutic agents. Compounds in apples were found to block the action of the protein kappa B (NF-KB) that decreases the effect of chemotherapy.
Dr. Liu says, ..."don’t just eat apples; variety is best. “The thousands of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables can be looked at as a team.”
Apples are now found to help fight cancer in ways not previously understood. The findings could lead the way for the development of new cancer treatments. Apples and apple extracts have been found to have cancer fighting properties, shown by more than a decade of studies.
AICR
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