London - Eating three peaches a day could stop breast cancer spreading, scientists claim.
Tests on mice showed that consuming peach extract stopped the growth of cancer.
Chemical compounds called polyphenols – which naturally occur in peaches – are responsible for this effect, says the study published in the US Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
It was calculated that humans would have to eat three peaches every day to see the same benefits.
Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Centre, which carried out the tests, said: ‘We are enthusiastic about the idea that perhaps by consuming only two to three peaches a day we can obtain similar effects in humans. However, this will have to be the next step in the study for its confirmation.’
Previous experiments at the centre showed that polyphenols from peaches and plums kill aggressive breast cancer cells and leave healthy cells untouched. - Daily Mail