Compounds in cranberries, thought to help prevent urinary preventions, may also fight the development of cancer, report US researchers today. The chemicals, called proanthocyanidins, inhibited the growth of human lung, colon and leukaemia cells in culture, without affecting healthy cells. They could also stop cancer from spreading, showed the tests. The work by Catherine Neto at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and colleagues is important as it is one of the first studies to look closely at the compounds in this fruit that are responsible for anti-cancer activity.
