Dark Sweet Cherries May Slow Aggressive Breast Cancer, Study Suggests
WEDNESDAY, March 11, 2026 (HealthDay News) — From cobblers to smoothies, dark sweet cherries show up in plenty of recipes, and scientists say the crimson-colored fruit may contain compounds that could help fight an aggressive type of breast cancer.
A team at Texas A&M University studied natural plant compounds called anthocyanins, which give cherries their deep red color. In lab tests with mice, these compounds slowed tumor growth and reduced the spread of cancer to other organs.
The research focused on triple-negative breast cancer, a form of the disease that is often harder to treat.
Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
“Triple-negative breast cancer is considered ‘the worst’ because it is more aggressive, higher grade, and has a higher mitotic index, meaning the cancer cells divide quickly,” said Giuliana Noratto, Ph.D., AgriLife Research associate research scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Food Science and Technology.
Unlike many other breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer does not have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and the HER2 protein, which normally help control cell growth. Without these “targets,” fewer treatment options are available. The disease is also more likely to spread to organs such as the lungs and brain, Noratto explained.
How Anthocyanins May Help
Researchers in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences found that anthocyanin treatment slowed tumor growth, reduced cancer spread to multiple organs and altered gene activity linked to metastasis and therapy resistance.
Instead of only measuring tumor size, researchers also looked at how the cancer spread through the body. “This is important because cancer lethality is primarily due to metastasis,” Noratto explained. “A large primary tumor that does not metastasize may be more manageable, even curable if removed.”
The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Science, showed that combining anthocyanin extract with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin led to an enhanced anti-tumor effect.
What This Means
These findings suggest that incorporating dark sweet cherries into a healthy diet may offer a complementary approach to managing triple-negative breast cancer. But, it’s important to remember that this research was conducted in mice, and further studies are needed to confirm these results in humans.
“Dark sweet cherries contain anthocyanins, natural plant compounds studied by Texas A&M researchers for their potential role in slowing the spread of triple-negative breast cancer,” according to Texas A&M University.