Core Tip: A new study has shown that strawberry extract can inhibit the spread of laboratory-grown breast cancer cells, even when they are inoculated in female mice to induce tumors.

A new study has shown that strawberry extract can inhibit the spread of laboratory-grown breast cancer cells, even when they are inoculated in female mice to induce tumors. However, the scientists do point out that these results from animal testing cannot be extrapolated to humans.

After five weeks on a strawberry-boosted diet, the mice showed no sign of progressing cancer spread and their tumours had shrunk.

Dr Maurizio Battino, from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy, said: "We... saw a significant reduction in the weight and volume of the tumour."

Previous studies have already shown that eating between 10 and 15 strawberries a day can make arteries healthier by reducing blood cholesterol levels.

"We have shown for the first time that strawberry extract, rich in phenolic compounds, inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer cells in in vitro and in vivo models," SINC was told by Maurizio Battino, co-author of the paper and a principal investigator at the Marche Polytechnic University (Italy) and the European University of the Atlantic in Santander (Spain).