Could red dates help fight cancer? Trendy superfood from Asia KILLS the disease, reveals lab study (and they cost just £1.99 a bag)
The trendy superfood ‘red dates’ from Asia kill cancer cells in the lab, new research suggests.
Jujube fruits, which are known as red dates due to them looking similar to the Middle-Eastern staple, programme lung, breast and prostate cancer cells to commit suicide, a study published in the journal Food & Function found.
Red dates are thought to trigger cancer cell death by causing 'internal stress' in tumours, according to researchers from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The results occurred after cancer cells were exposed to jujube in the lab. It is therefore unclear if the fruit helps to prevent or treat the disease in humans.
Jujube fruits, which are used in Chinese medicine to treat insomnia, a loss of appetite and diarrhoea, are available in the UK for just £1.99 for a 40g bag.
The researchers exposed human lung, breast and prostate cancer cells to eight compounds found in jujube fruits.
Results suggest four of the compounds reduce the survival rate of these cells.
In addition, three red-date compounds trigger cancerous cells to kill themselves.
Internal stress caused by the compounds is thought to damage tumours' structures.
The researchers believe jujube extracts could be used in cancer treatments in traditional Chinese medicine.
They add, however, further research is required to determine how jujube fruit's compounds trigger cancer cell death.
What are red dates?
Although jujube fruits look like dates, they are believed to contain 32 times more vitamin C, as well as being higher in antioxidants, than the sticky Middle-Eastern treat.
A portion of three dates contains 54 calories and 12g on sugar, on average, while the same amount of jujube has just 28 calories and 6g of sugar.
Jujube fruits also contain 18 out of the 24 amino acids that help with the formation of proteins in the body.
Helen Wang, founder of Abakus Foods, previously told MailOnline: 'The Chinese saying goes "three jujube berries a day, keeps you young forever".
'It's not easy to find something that tastes good and is good for you at the same time.'
Blackcurrant supplement can burn as much fat as four weeks of exercise
This comes after research released last May suggested a blackcurrant-extract supplement can burn as much fat as four weeks of regular exercise.
When taken twice a day for just one week, the vitamin increases fat burning by an average of 27 per cent, with one study participant achieving a rise of 55 per cent.
Known as CurraNZ, the supplement is made from New Zealand blackcurrants and costs £21.75 for a pack of 30.
The berries contain nutrients, called polyphenols, which are thought to encourage fat burning during exercise by increasing blood flow, according to the researchers.
Study author Dr Sam Shepherd, from Liverpool John Moores University, said: 'Seven days is not a very long time to see such big changes.
'Anything above 20 per cent is typically what we expect to see with three-to-four weeks of regular endurance exercise training.'
