Study Shows Bitter Melon shows promise in protecting and treating Breast Cancer

Could a lowly veggie be a cancer magic bullet?

Researchers have found that an extract from bitter melon, a vegetable commonly found in India, China and South America, may protect women from breast cancer, according to reports.

Bitter melon extract, sold in U.S. health food stores as well as on the Internet, is used in folk remedies for diabetes because of its blood-sugar lowering capabilities, according to the researchers.

The scientists, whose work is published in the March 1 issue of “Cancer Research,” found that in lab studies bitter melon extract had other health benefits.

“When we used the extract from that melon, we saw that it kills the breast cancer cells," lead researcher Ratna Ray, a professor of pathology at Saint Louis University, told HealthDay News. "We didn't see any death in the normal cells," she added.

Studies need to move from Petri dish to animals and then to humans before there’s conclusive evidence points to bitter melon extract prevents or cures cancer.

"I don't believe that it will cure cancer," Ray said. "It will probably delay or perhaps have some prevention."

Bitter melon extract is rich in Vitamin C and flavonoids, which are good for health.

Marji McCullough, strategic director of nutritional epidemiology at the American Cancer Society, called the findings interesting.

"The results of this laboratory study are intriguing," McCullough told HealthDay. "But before recommending bitter melon extract supplements for cancer prevention, we need appropriate clinical trials to establish its safety and efficacy in humans."

She added that the ACS recommends getting nutrients through food, not supplements.


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