Soursop is a tropical fruit that belongs to the custard apple family. It has a sweet and sour taste and a spiky green skin. Soursop has been used for centuries by traditional healers in Africa, Asia and Latin America for various ailments, such as infections, diabetes, arthritis and digestive problems12.
One of the most popular claims about soursop is that it can prevent and fight cancer. This claim is based on some laboratory studies that have shown that soursop extracts can kill certain types of cancer cells34. Some of these studies have suggested that soursop may be more effective than chemotherapy drugs in targeting cancer cells3. However, these studies have several limitations:
- They were done on isolated cells or animals, not on humans.
- They used very high doses of soursop extracts that may not be safe or achievable in real life.
- They did not compare soursop with other treatments or placebo.
- They did not consider the possible side effects or interactions of soursop with other medications.
Therefore, there is no scientific evidence that soursop can prevent or cure cancer in humans5. There is also no information on how much soursop one should consume or how to prepare it for optimal results. Moreover, soursop may have some adverse effects, such as lowering blood pressure, causing nausea and vomiting, damaging nerve cells and affecting blood sugar levels5. Soursop may also interact with some drugs, such as antidepressants, antihypertensives and anticoagulants5.
