Nutritionists from Cornell University have found that an apple a day helps prevent breast cancer. The results of the research scientists, published in the journal Nature.
Scientists conducted an experiment on mice. Rodents were first treated with a carcinogen that increased their risk of developing breast cancer. They were then divided into two groups: the first was fed with whole apple extracts (one, three and six), the second – a placebo. Rats were kept on this diet for 24 weeks.
“We found that in mice fed the human equivalent of one, three, or six apples a day, the incidence of tumors was reduced by 17%, 39%, and 44%, respectively,” the scientists wrote.
According to them, the antioxidants found in apples help prevent cancer by destroying cell-damaging free radicals and suppressing the production of active substances that can damage normal cells.