Also known as “bitter gourd,” bitter melon can be a healthy addition to your diet. Although it has recently been touted for its potential to fight diabetes, a new study has found that it may help prevent cancerous tumors from growing and spreading.
How bitter melon helps fight cancer
A team of researchers from Saint Louis University studied the benefits of bitter melon on mice with different types of cancer; prostate, breast, tongue, mouth, head and neck, to be exact.
Using bitter melon extract on the cells, the scientists found that the cancerous cells stopped replicating.
It appeared that the bitter melon extract interacts with the molecules that transport fat and glucose throughout the body to feed cancer cells. By intercepting these transport cells, the bitter melon not only kept the cancer from growing, but it even killed some of the cancerous cells. How much did the bitter melon extract help?
“All animal model studies that we’ve conducted are giving us similar results, an approximate 50% reduction in tumor growth,” explains Professor Ratna Ray, who led the study. “Our next step is to conduct a pilot study in [people with cancer] to see if bitter melon has clinical benefits and is a promising additional therapy to current treatments.”
About bitter melon
A relative of zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon and cucumber, bitter melon originated from India and was used by many cultures in cooking and as in natural medicine. Today it’s cultivated in tropical climates, such as China, East Africa, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Historically, multiple parts of the plants have been used, depending on the condition. From cardiovascular function to digestion and skin health, bitter melon’s benefits can be found in the leaves, vine, juice and fruit (fresh or dried).
If you take medications or have any medical conditions, it’s important to talk to your doctor before adding large quantities of bitter melon to your diet.
