Manuka honey could both treat and prevent breast cancer.
Manuka honey could treat and prevent breast cancer
Scientists have discovered that the fancy breakfast spread contains compounds that are capable of significantly reducing tumour growth in the most common forms of the deadly disease.
The honey also reduced how quickly cancer cells copied their DNA and divided and had no impact on the growth of normal cells, suggesting that it could target cancerous cells specifically.
The promising results could fulfil the "urgent need" for alternative treatments to chemotherapy in order to stop patients from relapsing and improve long-term breast cancer survival.
Dr. Diana Marquez-Garban, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles said: "The findings provide hope for development of a natural, less toxic alternative to traditional chemotherapy.
"Although more research is necessary to fully understand the benefits of natural compounds in cancer therapy, this study establishes a strong foundation for further exploration in this area."