Is pineapple helpful to prevent cancer?
Besides tasty and refreshing, the pineapple fruit is said to be beneficial to prevent cancer. Is this true? See the explanation here!
For the majority of people, cancer is probably a very scary word. They think in general is death, short lifespan, long-suffering, until depleted savings. This is why various ways of preventing cancer are done. One of the ways that are as potent as it is by eating pineapple fruit.
Pineapple is a plant of fruit shrub that has the scientific name Ananas comosus.
This yellow acid fruit has a lot of nutrients, fiber, and also good vitamins for the body.
In addition to being very rich in vitamin C and fiber, pineapple also contains proteolytic which has many benefits for the body, some of the benefits of pineapple fruit are the following.
- It has antioxidant content because it is rich in vitamin C and vitamin A.
- Maintain blood pressure, because the pineapple is rich in potassium.
- Functioning for eye health, because pineapple has vitamin A content.
- Strengthens bones, because pineapples have calcium content.
- Preventing anemia has vitamin C content that serves to absorb iron.
- Have a high fiber content so that it can prevent constipation
- Make skin healthy.
From the many benefits, is this tropical fruit can also be useful to prevent cancer?
Bromelain content in Pineapple
Cancer is a disease caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth in the body. Unfortunately, this abnormal cell growth can also damage the surrounding normal cells until it spreads to other parts of the body.
To prevent the growth of cancer cell abnormalities, long ago the pineapple has been utilized. According to experts, the content of Bromelain in pineapple is the key to these benefits. This bromelain can be found in plant fruit and stems.
Such substances have been shown to possess pro-apoptotic, anti-invasive and anti-metastatic properties. Most of the bromelain used in studies have been extracted from the trunk.
In an experiment, mice were implanted with different types of human tumor cells. When bromelain is administered in rats, a noticeable increase in the viability of rats experiencing leukemia, tumor ascites Ehrlich, lung cancer, and breast cancer, but not melanoma.
Feeding rats with bromelain as part of a diet has been shown to reduce the spread of cancer cells. Bromelain has also been shown to reduce adhesion, migration, and invasion of glioma cells.
Also, bromelain in pineapple can help cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. As is known, people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy have a higher risk of getting cancer again later in the day.
After the therapy, patients still advised to undergo an anti-cancer diet. One of the best ways to diet anti-cancer is to consume foods that can fight cancer, such as pineapple.
On the other hand, bromelain in pineapple can kill cancer cells without affecting your health. Bromelain exhibits an effect called "selective cytotoxicity" that can kill cancer cells while keeping cells and tissues in the body healthy.
Bromelain is an enzyme that can be extracted from the pineapple stems. Research suggests that this compound is superior to chemotherapy drugs. As noted in the journal Planta Medica, researchers stated that this bromelain effect is superior to 5-FU (5-fluorouracil), whose survival index is about 263%.
The benefits of pineapple fruit is remarkable, especially related to its effect in preventing cancer. Therefore, there is no harm in choosing this sour fruit as your daily pick menu. You combine also with other healthy lifestyles, such as exercising, not smoking, and avoiding stress.