A specific juice may be the life-saving answer to the 45,220 people expected to develop pancreatic cancer this year alone.1 And for the millions at risk, it may prevent the cancer from forming altogether.

Researchers from the University of Colorado studied the effects of the juice on pancreatic cancer cells in mice.2 They found the juice prevented cancer cells from using glucose. It essentially starved them to death. The juice also stopped tumors from forming in the first place. The mice that got the juice were 60 percent less likely to develop the cancer. And unlike the remedies Big Pharma likes to push, it caused no toxicity.

What is this cancer-fighting elixir?

Bitter melon juice.

Bitter melon is a fruit native to India and later brought to Asia.3 Asians have used the fruit and seeds as medicine for centuries. It’s probably best known for preventing and controlling diabetes.

And that’s where its cancer fighting properties come into play. Bitter melon regulates insulin secretion by the pancreas.4 That helps reduce blood sugar levels. By controlling insulin, pancreatic cancer cells have a much tougher time metabolizing glucose. That in turn cuts off the cell’s energy source. End result…cell death.

“It’s a very exciting finding,” lead author Dr. Rajesh Agarwal said. “Many researchers are engineering new drugs to target cancer cells’ ability to supply themselves with energy, and here we have a naturally-occurring compound that may do just that.”

This isn’t the first time bitter melon made headlines for fighting cancer.

A study published in Cancer Research showed the effect of bitter melon extract on breast cancer cells.5 Researchers at St. Louis University tested it on breast cancer cells in a petri dish. Once again, it stopped tumor growth. It worked slightly differently. But the result was the same.

Dr. Agarwal wants to continue his research. He hopes to develop a chemo prevention treatment using bitter melon.

But you can start protecting yourself right now.

The best place to find bitter melon is at an Asian food market. You can also look for the juice at your local health market. A bitter melon extract supplement will also work. We recommend Vitacost Bitter Melon Fruit extract capsules if you can’t find it in its natural form.  (Keep in mind, we are not compensated for suggesting this brand. We’ve done the research and feel it’s the best choice.)

A few cups of juice or capsules of bitter melon may just keep you cancer and diabetes free.

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References:
1 http://cancer.org/cancer/pancreaticcancer/overviewguide/pancreatic-cancer-overview-key-statistics
2 http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/03/07/carcin.bgt081
3 http://webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-795-BITTER%20MELON.aspx?activeIngredientId=795&activeIngredientName=BITTER%20MELON
4 http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130312134920.htm
5 http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179194