Anti-Cancer Potential of Peaches and Plums Revealed

Peaches and plums are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients, and contain phenolic compounds that yield the fruits’ distinctive aromas, tastes, and colors.  In lab tests conducted by Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, from Texas AgriLife Research (Texas, USA), and colleagues, breast cancer cells – including the most aggressive type -- died after treatments with peach and plum extracts, while the normal cells were not harmed in the process.  The team reports that two phenols present in the fruits exerted the protective effect, writing that: “We [confirm] that phenolic acids present … have potential as chemopreventive dietary compounds because of the relatively high growth inhibition exerted on the estrogen-independent … breast cancer cell line and low toxicity.”