A small, red “miracle fruit” is gaining attention for its ability to make lemons taste like lemonade — and for helping some cancer patients cope with an unpleasant side effect of treatment.
For many chemotherapy patients, “chemo mouth” can make food taste metallic, bland or spoiled — leading to weight loss, poor nutrition and reduced motivation to eat.
But a small red berry scientifically known as Synsepalum dulcificum — commonly called “miracle fruit” — is drawing attention for helping patients better tolerate food and, in turn, reclaim a sense of normalcy.
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“A lot of side effects from cancer treatments are underreported,” Dr. Mike Cusnir, a board-certified medical oncologist and co-director of gastrointestinal malignancies at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, told Fox News Digital.
He noted that taste changes can become more than a minor inconvenience over time.
“The alteration in taste will end up giving the patient the sensation that everything is absolutely bland,” Cusnir said.
“And we may think that that’s negligible, that it’s not that important — but with time it becomes bothersome to the point where the patient doesn’t eat, then there’s weight loss.“
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The experience varies widely from person to person, but the impact can be significant. In some cases, poor nutrition and weight loss may complicate ongoing treatment, he added.
In his research, he found that common workarounds such as using plastic utensils, adjusting food temperature or adding spices offered little relief for chemo mouth.
Cusnir remembers the first time he encountered miracle fruit — a West African berry that looks like a cranberry and contains miraculin, which temporarily alters taste perception.
A patient brought it to his office and told him to try it with a lemon.
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“I’m like, ‘That’s going to be tangy,'” Cusnir recalled. “He’s like, ‘OK, try it.’ So I tried it. It was tangy. Then he said, ‘Now, try the fruit and then squeeze it again.’ And it tasted like lemonade.”
The effect typically lasts about 30 to 40 minutes, though researchers are still working to better understand how it works and why it affects people differently.
In a small clinical study, Cusnir and his team compared patients using the fruit with those relying on standard, everyday ways of managing symptoms.
About half of the patients who tried miracle fruit reported improvements in taste, along with better overall quality of life, and 14% gained weight.
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The fruit did not work for everyone, however, and the findings are considered preliminary.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center notes that while small studies have suggested possible improvements in taste among chemotherapy patients, the evidence remains limited and inconsistent.
More rigorous research is needed to determine how effective the fruit is and which patients are most likely to benefit, the experts say.
The berry itself is delicate and often sold frozen or in tablet or powder form, as it can lose potency quickly after harvest. Availability has increased in recent years, though quality and effectiveness may vary between products.
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Cusnir said the fruit has not shown clear safety concerns in limited observations to date, and there is no strong evidence of harmful interactions with cancer treatments. Still, comprehensive safety data are lacking, so patients should consult their care team before trying new supplements or therapies.
There has also been some interest in studying the fruit for people with diabetes, Cusnir said, as its taste-altering effect could make lower-sugar foods more palatable.
For patients dealing with taste changes, even modest improvements may help with day-to-day routines.
“If a meal becomes a challenge for the patient, and they just don’t want to be there because they’re bothered by the food, they may isolate,” Cusnir said.
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That loss, he added, can compound the already difficult experience of cancer treatment.
“Patients are tired, fatigued and the time they spend with their family — if food is bothering them — it creates more isolation,” he said.
Helping patients enjoy even a small part of a meal again can make a meaningful difference, Cusnir said.
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“Patients are with us maybe 15 minutes every few weeks,” he said.
“But they’re at home, with their family, three meals a day.”
