According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer has now surpassed cardiac disease
as the largest killer in the United States. The incidence of cancer increases with
age, with approximately 80 percent of cancers occurring in people over the age of
55.
However, according to researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research,
preventing cancer may be as simple as eating pineapple.
Pineapple Fights Cancer Growth
While analyzing bromelain, an extract of crushed pineapple stems, researchers found
that two molecules isolated from the extract showed promise in fighting cancer growth:
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One molecule, known as CCS, blocks a protein called Ras, which is defective in approximately
30 percent of all cancers.
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The other, called CCZ, stimulates the body's own immune system to target and destroy
cancer cells.
Researchers discovered these two molecules work simultaneously to block the growth
of a broad range of tumor cells including breast, lung, colon, ovarian and melanoma.
And while CCS and CCZ are protease enzymes (usually associated with breaking down
proteins, as in the digestive process), the above findings distinguish the molecules
as a new way of treating disease and potentially a whole new class of anti-cancer
agents.
What's more, bromelain, a rich source of enzymes, has also been found to modulate
immunological responses and has been proposed to be of clinical use.
BBC News July 22, 2005
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