Baked rhubarb 'can help to kill cancer cells'
Breast cancer sufferers could get access to new, less toxic treatments after rhubarb was found to reduce cancer cell growth.
Women suffering from breast cancer could find that eating baked rhubarb helps in the battle against the disease, new research has claimed.
The findings, from Sheffield Hallam University, apply to all forms of cancer, including breast, and state that the anti-cancerous chemicals included in the fruit are boosted when it is cooked for 20 minutes.
A big finding of the research, which focused on South Yorkshire rhubarb, is that positive effects could be seen even when other treatments have failed.
Rhubarb produces polyphenols when cooked and these can kill or prevent growth of cancer cells. The chemicals could also be used to create more natural treatments.
This was welcomed by the scientists at Sheffield Hallam University, who said that there is a need to find new, less toxic treatments for the disease.
Dr Nikki Jordan-Mahy, of Sheffield Hallam University's biomedical research centre, said: "Current treatments are not effective in all cancers and resistance is a common problem.
"Our research has shown that British rhubarb is a potential source of pharmacological agents that may be used to develop new anti-cancerous drugs."
Previous studies into the anti-cancerous chemicals in rhubarb have focused solely on Oriental medicinal rhubarb, which has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
It is the latest natural remedy discovered to battle cancer, as last month Texas AgriLife Research food scientists stated that mango could help to battle the disease, including breast cancer.
The US study stated that tests have shown that the fruit prevented or stopped cancer cell growth in some cases.
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