Tokyo, June 12 -- Scientists in Japan have discovered that a natural compound found in a type of ginger called kencur can throw cancer cells into disarray by disrupting how they generate energy.

According to Osaka Metropolitan University, the finding opens new doors in the fight against cancer, showing how natural substances might help target cancer's hidden energy tricks.

While healthy cells use oxygen to make energy efficiently, cancer cells often rely on a backup method. This ginger-derived molecule doesn't attack that method directly, it shuts down the cells' fat-making machinery instead, which surprisingly causes the cells to ramp up their backup system even more.

For instance, human cells oxidise glucose to produce ATP (adenosine...