Fruit is 'a dessert, not a medicine'

Fruits marketed by companies as having high nutritional and antioxidant content have no documented impact on preventing cancer in humans.

That is the verdict of researcher and professor of surgery David Euhus, based at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, US, an expert in cancer genetics and risk assessment.

So-called 'superfruits', which include pomegranates, blueberries and acai berry juices, have not been proven to impact on cancer rates, he said.

'There's really no superfood that's been proven to reduce the risk of cancer,' Euhus noted. 'The antioxidants in clinical trials have not shown an effect on cancer rates.'

Instead, Euhus recommended that staying away from simple sugars that can raise insulin levels, as well as frequent exercise, are the best ways to reduce cancer rates, highlighting the fact that fruit is loaded with natural sugars so should be limited.

'I think of fruit as a dessert and not as a medicine,' he said.