Could bitter melon stop breast cancer?

A new study has suggested that bitter melon may be effective in killing breast cancer cells.

Ratna Ray, a professor in the department of pathology at Saint Louis University, claimed that extracts from the fruit has proved effective in attacking breast cancer cells, which may bode well for the possible development of future remedies.

According to the expert, extract from the fruit, which is common in India and China shows promise in triggering a chain of events that not only kills breast cancer cells, but prevents them from multiplying.

Professor Ray said she was surprised that the extract from the bitter melon she regularly uses for cooking inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the effect of bitter melon extract on cancer cells. Our result was encouraging. We have shown that bitter melon extract significantly induced death in breast cancer cells and decreased their growth and spread," she explained.

In the investigation, Professor Ray used human breast cancer cells in vitro and said the next step is to test bitter melon extract in an animal model to see if it plays a role in delaying the growth of breast cancer cells.

If those results are positive, human trials could follow, the healthcare specialist has suggested.

"Cancer prevention by the use of naturally occurring dietary substances is considered a practical approach to reduce the ever-increasing incidence of cancer," she said.

As over one million women a year and 45,000 in the UK alone are diagnosed with the disease every year, she said that the study offered significant promise for future studies.

Posted by James McCann

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