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
