New cool climate fruit crop in Canada has potential as anticancer super food

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, stated, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”

Researchers in Canada are taking those words to heart and have begun a new research initiative on the disease fighting power of haskap, the newest cool climate fruit crop in Nova Scotia. Haskap is also known as blue honeysuckle or honeyberry; it is a small blue berry similar to a blueberry.

Vasantha Rupasinghe, Canada Research Chair in Fruit Bioactives and BioProducts, is leading the team in this initiative. The fruit, which is rich in dietary antioxidants such as flavonoids, has potential to fight cancer if consumed daily along with other healthy lifestyle practices.

Their investigations include testing the anticancer activity of haskap bioactives on lung cancer cells; developing a manufacturing process that will optimize retention of the bioactives, vitamins, and anthocyanins in the fruit; and exploring its potential as a cancer-preventive food product.

The berry is new Canada; however, it has been used to treat many diseases in other countries such as Northern Russia, Japan, and China.

The research team is also working with LaHave Forests Farm, which has 60 acres of haskap orchards and plans to expand its orchards as well as sell plants to other farmers in Nova Scotia to encourage expanding the supply of the fruit.