About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Study Says Purple Sweet Potato may Help Fight Cancer

by Rajashri on July 2, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Font : A-A+

 Study Says Purple Sweet Potato may Help Fight Cancer

Kansas State University researchers have developed a purple sweet potato, which has been found to have increased amount of anti-cancer components.

K-State's Soyoung Lim, doctoral student in human nutrition, Manhattan has revealed that purple sweet potatoes have high contents of anthocyanin, which is a pigment that presents the purple colour in the vegetable.

Advertisement

The pigment can produce red, blue and purple colours depending on the source's chemical structure, such as in foods like blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage.

According to Lim, anthocyanins have been epidemiologically associated with a reduced cancer risk, but the anti-cancer ability of the purple sweet potato has not been well investigated.
Advertisement

During the study, the researchers analysed three different purple sweet potatoes that had varying amounts of anthocyanin.

To quantify the amount in each potato, Lim extracted pigments from the vegetables and injected them into an HPLC-MS Analysis, which she said is a method that separates components.

The potatoes were segregated by multiple traits based on flesh pigmentation and fibre contents.

The study showed that Kansas-bred potato had significantly higher anthocyanin contents compared to the other potatoes.

The researchers also found two derivatives of anthocyanin that were dominant: cyanidin and peonidin.

The specially bred purple sweet potato had a much higher total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity than the other regularly occurring purple sweet potatoes.

Phenols are chemical compounds that have been found to have anti-aging and antioxidant components.

For further study, Lim treated human colon cancer cells with low concentrations of the pigment derivatives cyanidin and peonidin and found that the treatment led to significant cell growth inhibition for the cancer cells.

The findings were presented at Experimental Biology Meeting.

Source: ANI
RAS
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest Research News

Autoimmune Diseases Affect One in Ten: Study
Autoimmune disorders were found to be linked to Sjogren's, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis.
Remarkable Journey of Transforming Lives With Brain Pacemaker
Successful brain pacemaker implantation has helped a 51year old Parkinson's disease patient to revitalize her quality of life.
What Are the Effects of Healthy Lifestyle on Osteoarthritis?
Recent recommendations on lifestyle behaviors to prevent progression of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases revealed.
Unraveling the Mystery of Psoriasis Severity
The study offers insights into how psoriasis can trigger diabetes, heart disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
 Microparticle Therapy Offers a Glimmer of Cure for Multiple Sclerosis
Utilizing microparticles for therapy could mark a significant milestone in the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

Study Says Purple Sweet Potato may Help Fight Cancer Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests