Plums, specifically European and Japanese species, exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be used for the treatment and prevention of cancer.
The researchers conducted a systematic review of existing literature related to the effects of plums on cancer prevention and treatment. They used a variety of databases including Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, Medxriv, and the Cochrane Library, considering studies published from the inception of each database till July 2021. The validity of the studies was checked using the CONSORT checklist tool for quality assessment. A total of 6639 studies were initially scrutinized, narrowing down to 54 relevant studies for in-depth review.
Discussion of Results: The analysis of the chosen studies revealed high antioxidant content in plum extracts. While the majority of the research supporting these findings were conducted in vitro, a smaller quantity of clinical studies involved in vivo testing. The promising results gathered from these studies suggest the potential of plums being used both for treatment and preventing cancer, especially due to their antioxidative properties.
