In a breakthrough discovery, researchers claim that purple potatoes can prevent the spread of colon cancer and terminate its stem cells.
According to Jairam K.P. Vanamala of the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, attacking stem cells was an effective way to counter cancer.
In the study, the researchers found that the baked potato extract suppressed the spread of colon cancer stem cells while increasing their deaths.
Researchers then tested the effect of whole baked purple potatoes on mice with colon cancer and found similar results.
The portion size for a human would be about the same as eating a medium size purple-fleshed potato for lunch and dinner, or one large purple-fleshed potato per day.
According to the researchers, there might be several substances in purple potatoes that work simultaneously on multiple pathways to help kill the colon cancer stem cells, including anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid, and resistant starch.
Vanamala said that the butyric acid regulated immune function in the gut, suppressed chronic inflammation and might also help to cause cancer cells to self-destruct.
He suggested that purple potatoes could be potentially used in both primary and secondary prevention strategies for cancer.
The study is published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
