A team at Texas A&M University studied natural plant compounds called anthocyanins, which give cherries their deep red color. In lab tests with mice, these compounds slowed tumor growth and reduced the spread of cancer to other organs.

The research focused on triple-negative breast cancer, a form of the disease that is often harder to treat.

“Triple-negative breast cancer is considered ‘the worst’ because it is more aggressive, higher grade, and has a higher mitotic index, meaning the cancer cells divide quickly,” Giuliana Noratto, a research scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Food Science and Technology, said in a news release.