Rui Hai Liu, Cornell's Associate Professor of Food Science and colleagues analyzed the peel from 230 pounds of Cornell Orchard red delicious apples, isolated their individual compounds, identified its structures and tested the pure compounds against cancer cell growth in the laboratory.
"We found that several compounds have potent anti-proliferative activities against human liver, colon and breast cancer cells and may be partially responsible for the anti-cancer activities of whole apples," Liu was quoted as saying by Medindia.
Earlier studies already discovered that apples, besides fighting cancer cells in the laboratory, also decrease the number and size of mammary tumours in rats. Researchers concluded that triterpenoids, a type of naturally-occurring fat-soluble molecules, may be doing much of the anti-cancer work.
Researchers believe that consumers should eat five to 12 servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily to reduce the risks of chronic diseases, including cancer, and to meet nutrient requirements for optimum health.
The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
