Grape juice may prevent breast cancer

A new study published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods (September) shows that natural compounds in Concord grape juice protected healthy human breast cells from DNA damage. The healthy cells were exposed in a test tube to an environmental carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene, that is able to initiate a chain of events leading to breast cancer. However, the introduction of Concord grape juice compounds blocked the connection of the carcinogen to the DNA in the cells. "These new data suggest that anthocyanins present in Concord grape juice, as well as some other fruits and juices, warrant further study for their breast cancer chemoprevention," said lead researcher Keith Singletary of the University of Illinois, USA.