Apple skin chemical reduces colon cancer risk

Research presented at the annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference in Seattle has shown that a chemical in apples prevents colon cancer in laboratory and animal studies. Francis Raul of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and team, exposed cancer cells to various apple-based antioxidants known as polyphenols. The investigators found that procyanidins, a polyphenol found in apple skins, blocked cancer growth.

In an experiment with laboratory rats, the rats were exposed to colon cancer- causing substances and then fed a mixture of water and apple procyanidins. Rats getting "apple water" for six weeks had half the number of precancerous lesions in their colons compared with rats eating the regular diet.

Scientists speculate that the beneficial effect of procyanidins may be due to its antioxidant properties, which ordinarily protect apples from sunlight's harmful effects.

Procyanidins are also found in abundance in red wine, cocoa and cranberry juice.