Apples may help fight colon cancer, other diseases


Apples may help fight colon cancer, other diseases

An AppleKeeping to the rules of an apple a day to keep the doctor away seems to be a really good idea, for a new study has found that apple and apple juice protect against colon cancer. Over the past few years, apple consumption has been linked with reduced cancer risk in several studies. A 2001 Mayo Clinic study indicated that quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells. While, a Cornell University study indicated phytochemicals in the skin of an apple might inhibit the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 per cent, a new study from a team from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research believed that its procyanidins, actual help to keep bowel cancer at bay.

These chemicals were shown to significantly reduce the number of precancerous lesions in laboratory animals. The research, which could lead to new cancer treatments, was presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. It suggested that the chemicals - one of a class of compounds called polyphenols - work by altering signaling pathways that control the process by which cells commit suicide at the end of their natural life. This process goes awry in cancer cells, leading to uncontrolled division and the formation of tumours.

Lead researcher Dr Francis Raul said: “These studies not only offer insights into the mechanisms of the chemopreventive properties of these polyphenols, they also offer proof of their potential to prevent colon cancer.” Polyphenols of various types are concentrated in the skin of apples. They are antioxidants, preventing molecules called free radicals from inflicting damage on the body’s tissue. The French researchers split the polyphenols found in apples into two general categories, and exposed cancer cells to each. The first class of monomer polyphenols, which included the flavonoids, failed to have any significant effect at concentrations ranging from 10 to 100 micrograms per millilitre. But the second class, featuring the procyanidins, triggered signals that lead to cell suicide, thus thwarting the growth and spread of cancer.

Next, the researchers fed rats that had been injected with a substance known to trigger colon cancer a liquid containing apple-derived procyanidins. After about six weeks on this diet, these rats were found to have about half the number of precancerous lesions in their colons as counterparts on a regular diet. Meanwhile an expert at the Cancer Research UK, said apple skins were are also high in fibre, and independent research has shown that increased fibre intake can independently reduce the incidence of bowel cancers. According to the representative of the body, “ there is no solid evidence to confirm any single fruit or vegetable type as having ‘cancer preventive’ properties for humans. We continue to promote increasing intake of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.”
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