Mango Halts Colon and Breast Cancer Cell Growth

The mango is an ancient fruit commonly consumed in many parts of the world, but little is known about its potential health benefits.  Susanne Talcott, from Texas A&M University (USA), and colleagues who examined the five most common varieties in the United States, namely Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden.  The researchers tested mango polyphenol extracts, natural antioxidant compounds, in vitro on colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers.  While mango did exhibit some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers, the fruit was very effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.  The team studied gallotannins, a type of polyphenol, present in mangos, that is also found in grape seed, wine and teas, and found that mango gallotannins interrupted the cell division cycle in breast and colon cancers.