A new study suggests that fruits and vegetables, which have darker colors, contain influential cancer-fighting compounds called anthocyanins.

The research, which was presented at an American Chemical Society meeting, indicates that compounds from chokeberries can kill up to one fifth of the existing cancerous cells, without affecting the healthy ones.

“Anthocyanin may be particularly used in tackling gastrointestinal cancers,” announced Monica Giusti, the leading author of the study.

“Very little of the substance is absorbed by the bloodstream, but it may be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract as it passes through,” she added.

TE/HGH/KB