by Joanne Washburn
01/18/2022 – Sweet purple potatoes may do more than add a pop of color to your plate. These vibrant tubers may also help prevent colon cancer, according to a study by researchers from Pennsylvania State University.
Purple potatoes – a dense and nutty member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) – are rich in antioxidants, such as phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Past studies have found that these antioxidants possess anticancer potential.
To find out how these tubers affect colon cancer risk, the researchers fed three groups of pigs one of three diets for 13 weeks: a control diet, a high-calorie diet and a high-calorie diet with raw or baked purple potatoes.
At the end of the experiment, they screened the pigs’ colonic tissue for markers of colon cancer. They found that pigs fed the high-calorie diet had higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory protein known to increase colon cancer risk.
However, pigs fed the high-calorie diet with purple potatoes had IL-6 levels that were six times lower than those of the control group. Both raw and baked purple potatoes had similar effects.
IL-6 levels are linked to levels of other proteins that affect the development and spread of cancer, like Ki-67. Ki-67 is a protein that increases as cells prepare to divide. The expression of Ki-67 is strongly associated with the growth and spread of tumors in the colon, breast and lungs.
Further studies are needed to determine whether the results of the study would hold true in humans. That said, the study’s findings are promising, especially considering how colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.
But colon cancer prevention doesn’t and shouldn’t stop at just eating purple potatoes. Eating other foods rich in essential nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, could alter the IL-6 pathway and slash colon cancer risk.
More benefits of purple potatoes
If you needed any more motivation to add purple potatoes to your diet, know that their phenolic acid and anthocyanin content may help protect against other health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. That’s because these compounds help fight chronic inflammation, which is at the root of many chronic conditions.
In a 2015 study, researchers looked at how purple potato extract compared with captopril, a blood pressure medication. They found that the extract significantly improved people’s blood pressure. The extract also increased a high blood pressure-fighting antioxidant called superoxide dismutase in people’s blood.
In another study, researchers wanted to find out how eating whole purple potatoes influenced arterial stiffness, which can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Participants in this study were given either 200 grams (g) of purple potato (about one medium-sized potato) or 200 g of white potato.
After two weeks, those who ate purple potatoes had much healthier blood pressure levels than those who ate white potatoes.
Beyond antioxidants, purple potatoes have a lot going for them nutritionally. For starters, they are high in fiber and vitamin C, which can help with weight loss and immunity, respectively. They are also packed with potassium, which also aids in blood pressure regulation. Shared from Foods.com
