Eating dried plums may help to decrease the risk of colon cancer, a leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., new research suggests.

A study presented at the 2015 Experimental Biology Conference in Boston found laboratory rats fed plums, which contain natural phenolic compounds that boost digestive health, were less likely to develop cancer than those fed a standard diet, Medical News Today reports.

The study — carried out by Nancy Turner, M.D., a Texas A&M University food science expert — showed that dried plums encourage retention of gut bacteria in the colon, which could lower the risk of colon cancer.

Colon cancer causes about 49,700 deaths nationwide, according to federal health statistics.
"From this study we were able to conclude that dried plums did, in fact, appear to promote retention of beneficial microbiota and microbial metabolism throughout the colon, which was associated with a reduced incidence of precancerous lesions," said Dr. Turner.