Fact Check: Does consuming pineapple reduce breast cancer?

Can pineapple reduce Breast Cancer?

Claim: A post on the social media site Pinterest claims that pineapples have several health benefits, such as maintaining strong bones and providing important nutrients during pregnancy. Among various claims, one such claim was that consuming pineapple reduces breast cancer.

The link to the post is here.

Fact Check:

The claim is misleading. Firstly the claim does not make clear, whether pineapple reduce the size of breast cancer or reduces the risk of breast cancer. Secondly, while pineapple has shown to have certain anti-cancer properties in some animal studies. There is no medical consensus or definite scientific evidence that consumption of pineapple can reduce risk of cancer,

What is Breast Cancer?

According to the World Health Organization, “ Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumours. If left unchecked, the tumours can spread throughout the body and become fatal. Breast cancer cells begin inside the milk ducts and/or the milk-producing lobules of the breast. The earliest form (in situ) is not life-threatening and can be detected in early stages. Cancer cells can spread into nearby breast tissue (invasion), creating tumours that cause lumps or thickening.” (1)

How prevalent is Breast Cancer?

In 2022, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 670,000 deaths globally. (2) Breast cancer is the most common cancer in India, accounting for 28.2% of all female cancers, with an estimated 216,108 cases by 2022. (3)

Risk Factors:

Certain factors increase the risk of breast cancer, including increasing age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history of breast cancer, history of radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), tobacco use and postmenopausal hormone therapy.

What causes breast Cancer?

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Lakhan Kashyap, Medical Oncologist at Manipal Hospitals, said that "Most common breast Cancer is related to age; as age increases, the chances of breast cancer increase. Other causes include Family history, alcohol and smoking. Women having earlier menarche and late menopause have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. These might be some of the risk factors."

Conversing with the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Aditi Agrawal, Breast Onco surgeon and general surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, further added , “The causes of breast cancer are surging at an alarming rate in the country. This type of cancer begins in the breast tissue. Though it is not possible to pinpoint the exact cause behind this cancer, certain factors such as genetics, age, obesity, harmful use of alcohol, family history, radiation exposure, reproductive history (such as age that menstrual periods began and age at first pregnancy), hormone therapy, suffering from any breast condition, tobacco use can raise one’s risk of suffering from this cancer. Hence, timely diagnosis and treatment of this cancer is life-saving. It is imperative to opt for breast self-examination to spot any abnormalities in the breasts and initiate prompt intervention.”

Pineapple and nutrition:

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical fruit that is highly relished for its unique aroma and sweet taste. Pineapple contains many bioactive compounds, dietary fibre, minerals, and nutrients. It has also been proven to have various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, monitoring nervous system function, and healing bowel movements. (4) Bromelain is a major sulfhydryl proteolytic enzyme in pineapple plants. (5)

Does pineapple reduce breast cancer?

Some studies related to Bromelain and cancer have been found.

This study suggests that bromelain treatment could potentiate the antitumor effect of cisplatin on triple-negative breast cancer 4T1 cells by modulating the tumour's environmental inflammation. (6)

Bromelain can inhibit the growth and proliferation of the mouse Breast Cancer 4T1 cell line and reduce its survival. (7)

Although bromelain's anticancer properties are documented in vitro, its clinical applications remain limited and not well-represented. Demonstrations of these properties in vivo, using animal models, are significantly less extensive. Further, the is no consensus in the medical fraternity to the fact that pineapple should be used as treatment or part of the treatment to reduce breast cancer. 

Conversing with the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Aditi Agrawal, Breast Onco surgeon and general surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, explained that Pineapple contains bromelain that may suppress the growth of breast cancer cells and stimulate cell death. However, no evidence or studies are available to prove this claim is right. Even though pineapple is full of nutrition and low in calories, it may not guarantee that it can reduce the chances of breast cancer. After all, you cannot lower your risk of breast cancer by just adding pineapple to your daily menu. To keep breast cancer at bay, one will have to stick to a well-balanced diet, exercise daily, maintain an optimum weight, quit smoking and alcohol or illicit drugs, and be cautious while opting for birth control or hormone therapy.

Dr Lakhan Kashyap, Medical Oncologist at Manipal Hospitals, added that Bromelain found in pineapple has some anticancer properties, but whether they reduce cancer or not is still unclear.

Medical Dialogues Final Take:

The claim is misleading. Firstly, the claim is ambiguous as it does not specify whether pineapple reduces the size of breast cancer tumors or lowers the risk of developing breast cancer. Secondly, although some animal studies have suggested that pineapple might possess anti-cancer properties, there is no definitive scientific evidence or medical consensus supporting the idea that consuming pineapple can reduce the risk of cancer.

References:

1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer#:~:text=If%20left%20unchecked%2C%20the%20tumours,be%20detected%20in%20early%20stages

2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer#:~:text=Scope%20of%20the%20problem,increasing%20rates%20in%20later%20life.

3. Sathishkumar K, Sankarapillai J, Mathew A, et al. Breast cancer survival in India across 11 geographic areas under the National Cancer Registry Programme. Cancer. 2024; 130(10): 1816-1825. doi:10.1002/cncr.35188

4. Mohd Ali M, Hashim N, Abd Aziz S, Lasekan O. Pineapple (Ananas comosus): A comprehensive review of nutritional values, volatile compounds, health benefits, and potential food products. Food Res Int. 2020 Nov;137:109675. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109675. Epub 2020 Sep 17. PMID: 33233252.

5. Hikisz P, Bernasinska-Slomczewska J. Beneficial Properties of Bromelain. Nutrients. 2021 Nov 29;13(12):4313. doi: 10.3390/nu13124313. PMID: 34959865; PMCID: PMC8709142.

6. Mohamad NE, Abu N, Yeap SK, Alitheen NB. Bromelain Enhances the Anti-tumor Effects of Cisplatin on 4T1 Breast Tumor Model In Vivo. Integr Cancer Ther. 2019 Jan-Dec;18:1534735419880258. doi: 10.1177/1534735419880258. PMID: 31752555; PMCID: PMC6876173.

7. Raeisi F, Shahbazi-Gahrouei D, Raeisi E, Heidarian E. Evaluation of the Radiosensitizing Potency of Bromelain for Radiation Therapy of 4T1 Breast Cancer Cells. J Med Signals Sens. 2019 Jan-Mar;9(1):68-74. doi: 10.4103/jmss.JMSS_25_18. PMID: 30967992; PMCID: PMC6419564.