Darker fruits could fight cancer
Date: 21.8.2007
**The compounds which give certain fruit and vegetables their dark colour may contain powerful cancer fighting properties, US research suggests.**
Studies on rats and human cells found anthocyanins - which colour red, purple and blue fruits - notably slowed the growth of colon **cancer cells**.
The more exotic the plant the better: purplecorn and bilberry were found to be much more potent than the radish.
The research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
In some experiments, the researchers from Ohio State University saw cancer growth not just slowed, but as many as 20% of the cells killed.
For instance, anthocyanin pigments obtained from black carrots and radishes slowed the growth of cancer cells by between 50 to 80%....
Whole article on "BBC NEWS":[ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6954696.stm]
