News

Could Australian native fruits be the latest weapon in the fight against cancer? Aaron Tan, a PhD scholar at the University of Sydney and Food Science Australia, believes so.

“Cancer is the number one killer in Australia,” Aaron said. “One in three men and one in four women will be directly affected by the disease in the first 75 years of life.”

And, as well as the physical pain and suffering, cancer also has a significant financial impact, costing our health care system at least $2 billion a year, mainly in treatment.

“It’s vital that we explore ways of reducing the incidence of cancer,” Aaron said.

Natural preventive agents, such as antioxidants — found in a range of fresh fruits, vegetables and grains — show promising potential. And Australian native fruits may pack the strongest cancer-fighting punch of all.

“Recent studies into a number of native Australian fruits, such as the Kakadu plum, have confirmed the presence of significant levels of antioxidants,” he said.

“While this is encouraging, we know little about the specific mechanisms of chemo-preventive, or anti-cancer, activities that occur when antioxidants from native fruits come into contact with human cancer cells.”

Aaron’s hoping to fill this gap by using his award to investigate the molecular processes by which compounds from native Australian fruits can prevent, suppress or even reverse cancer growth.

“I’m hoping to gain a clearer understanding of the potential health benefits that Australian native fruits can provide, particularly their role in preventing and fighting cancer,” he said.

“This project will not only have positive implications for public health, but also help build new markets for the native food industry.”