Eating peach may slow breast cancer growth

Certain compounds in peaches can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and their ability to spread, a promising research shows.

These compounds could be a novel addition to therapies that reduce the risk of metastasis - the primary killer in breast and many other cancers, say researchers from Washington State University and Texas A&M University.

"I would suggest to eat three peaches or take a similar dietary supplement of peach polyphenol extract powder a day," said Giuliana Noratto, an assistant professor of food science at Washington State University.

For the new study, the researchers implanted breast cancers cells beneath the skin of mice.

After giving the cells a week to establish, the researchers fed the mice varying doses of peach polyphenols, compounds that help plants ward off the damaging effects of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

After 12 days, the researchers saw that mice fed with high levels of polyphenols had tumours that grew less and without much of the blood vessel formation that can help cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.

The tumours in those mice also had less evidence of enzymes involved in the spread and invasion of cancer, they found.

"Having enough fruits and vegetables that can provide these compounds in our diet, we might have a similar preventive effect," Noratto suggested.

She is now looking at compounds in wheat, barley, quinoa, apples and dairy products that could have a role in preventing obesity-related diseases.

The research was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.