The familiar, easy-to-find vegetable has anti-cancer effects

Sweet potato vegetables are vegetables often used in meals of many families. According to the Clinical Nutrition Center, K Hospital, sweet potato vegetables contain many nutrients such as vitamins B, C, E, biotin and minerals such as Magnesium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Na, Potassium, Manganese, Zinc , Copper, Iron… Recently, bioactive compounds in sweet potato vegetables are of great interest thanks to their antioxidant, anti-cancer, liver protection, blood sugar and blood lipid regulation.

The antioxidant properties in sweet potato vegetables are due to derivatives of caffeoylquinic acid, quercetin, anthocyanin… The above study used 200g purple sweet potato for athletes for 1-2 weeks to help reduce lipid oxidation and DNA, increase blood glutathione, improve plasma antioxidant capacity.

In vitro studies have shown that sweet potato leaf extract has strong anti-cancer effects against colon, breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer cells. The mechanism is thanks to polyphenols and anthocyanins that regulate the cell cycle, induce cell death, and reduce angiogenesis.

IbACP is a 16-amino acid peptide extracted from sweet potato and has also been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer lines. Animal and human studies were also initially conducted to investigate the anticancer activity of these compounds.

In vitro studies with damaged liver cell lines showed that anthocyanins in sweet potato leaves reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, reducing the process of cell death. Experiments with rats using sweet potato leaves in the diet showed an improvement in fatty acid profile in the liver.

Also according to the Clinical Nutrition Center, K Hospital, in Africa and Indonesia, sweet potato is also used as a traditional medicine to treat heart-related diseases. Several model studies in rats have documented the lipid-lowering and anti-atherosclerotic effects of sweet potato leaves. The mechanism is that the insoluble fiber in the sweet potato leaves interferes with the absorption of lipids in the small intestine.

Flavonoid and quercetin compounds in sweet potato leaves reduce intestinal fatty acid absorption through regulation of various enzymes involved in lipid metabolism and expression of transcription factors involved in fat synthesis neutral and cholesterol. Quercetin also reduces pancreatic lipase activity, inhibits the absorption of cholesterol and triglycerides through the cholesterol and fatty acid transporters in the epithelium.

For high blood sugar, the flavonoids in sweet potato leaves can promote glucose absorption in peripheral tissues and enhance insulin secretion, reducing the apoptosis of pancreatic β cells.

In addition, quercetin activates β-cell regeneration in the pancreas, causing increased insulin secretion. As a result, cellular pathways involved in insulin secretion are stimulated, reducing insulin resistance, helping to fight diabetes. This effect has been demonstrated in many animal experiments.

Although human studies to confirm the above effects of sweet potato leaves are not many to make recommendations and safe dosages, the use of sweet potato leaves as a vegetable along with other vegetables is still acceptable. encourage.

However, the concentrations of bioactive substances varied among sweet potato leaves, time of harvest, and cooking method. Among them, steaming was the most effective cooking method to maintain the polyphenol levels and antioxidant activity of sweet potato leaves.

Phuong Le

Experts point out the cause of high mortality from liver cancer in VietnamIn addition to viral causes, alcohol consumption habits, most cases are detected at a late stage, which has caused our country to have a high death rate from liver cancer, over 25,000 cases/year.