Sweet Potato Extracts: A Natural Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment

Sweet Potato: A Nutritional and Medicinal Powerhouse

Ipomoea batatas, also known as sweet potato, a staple crop grown in over 100 countries, is widely recognized for its rich nutritional profile. Sweet potato leaves and stems are usually thrown away or used as animal feed, even though the tuberous root is the portion that is most generally eaten. Leaves are mainly consumed in parts of the Pacific Ocean, Asia, Africa, Taiwan, China, the Caribbean, and Southern and Central America.^[1]

Sweet potato leaves, stems, stalks, peel, and flesh are rich sources of bio-active flavonoids, proteins, phenolic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. However, recent studies indicate that these plant components are abundant in substances with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant qualities, such as flavonoids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and anthocyanins.

Sweet potato leaves have been shown in several studies to have preventive properties against oxidative stress, cardiovascular disease, and even age-related degenerative disorders. This recent study bridges that gap, by showing that extracts from sweet potato leaves and stems can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and cell proliferation, providing a natural therapeutic alternative.^[2]

Sweet Potato Extracts: A Natural Approach to Cancer Therapy

Cancer is still a major worldwide health concern. Researchers are looking at natural approaches for both prevention and therapy. Interestingly, new research suggests sweet potato extracts may have anti-cancer effects, especially when it comes to reducing the development of lung and breast cancer cells.

Scientific Findings on Sweet Potato Extracts and Cancer

Cytotoxic Effects on Breast and Lung Cancer Cells

According to recent research, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) extract have the ability to stop the development of lung and breast cancer cells, indicating possibilities as a potential alternative to conventional therapy.

A study conducted at Tennessee State University extracted the effects of methanolic extracts from two sweet potato cultivars—All Purple (purple-fleshed) and Carolina Ruby (orange-fleshed)—on cancer cell lines. The findings of this study included that purple leaf extracts reduced breast cancer cell viability by 76% at 0.003 µg/µl. Ruby leaf and stem extracts showed a 96% decrease in lung cancer cell proliferation at 0.0056 µg/µl, surpassing the effectiveness of tamoxifen, a common drug used to treat breast cancer. Higher concentrations resulted in effective inhibition of cancer cells, according to dose-dependent effects.

These findings are consistent with recent research demonstrating that the polyphenols and anthocyanins in sweet potatoes induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in addition to inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells.^[3]

Exploring the Mechanisms of Sweet Potatoes' Anti-Cancer Effects

Sweet potatoes for the treatment and prevention of anti-cancer have several mechanisms.

• Apoptosis induction: Bio-active substances trigger processes that result in the death of cancer cells.^[1]

• Inhibiting cancer cell proliferation: Flavonoids and polyphenols are found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

• Reducing oxidative stress: Sweet potatoes have a high antioxidant property that helps to neutralize free radicals, reducing the risk of cancer and DNA damage.^[4]

Potential for Use in Cancer Therapy

Imagine a day in the future where cancer therapy is easier to get, less expensive, and less harmful to the body. We are getting closer to that reality thanks to a recent study that shows how amazing sweet potatoes are in fighting cancer.

Conventional cancer treatments are sometimes unaffordable in many underdeveloped nations because of a lack of funding and accessibility. A main crop in many of these areas, sweet potatoes can help with that. Sweet potato extracts have been found by researchers to have anti-cancer effects, making them a possible natural substitute for chemotherapy.

Future Research and Applications

While the initial findings are promising, there's still much to uncover about the sweet potato's role in cancer treatment. Although these findings are promising, further research is required to fully understand the potential of sweet potato extracts in cancer treatment. Scientists, through their research studies, are on a mission to find the bio-active substances that possess anticancer properties.

Researchers are also investigating how these substances and bio-active compounds interact with the genetic pathways that control the proliferation of cancer cells. To ascertain their full potential, clinical trials are required to assess the compounds' safety and efficacy in human subjects.^[1]

References:

1. Sinha, Sanchari. 2025. “News-Medical.” News-Medical. March 3, 2025. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250302/Sweet-potato-extracts-slow-breast-and-lung-cancer-growth-study-finds.aspx. (source article)

2. Sochinwechi Nwosisi, Dilip Nandwani, and Elbert Lewis Myles. 2025. “Antiproliferative Potential of Sweetpotato in Breast (BT549) and Lung (A549) Cancer Cell Lines.” BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies 25 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-04770-9.

3. Karna, Prasanthi, Sushma R Gundala, Meenakshi Gupta, Shahab A Shamsi, Ralphenia D Pace, Clayton Yates, Satya Narayan, and Ritu Aneja. 2011. “Polyphenol-Rich Sweet Potato Greens Extract Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer Cells in Vitro and in Vivo” 32 (12): 1872–80. https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgr215.

4. Sugata, Marcelia, Chien-Yih Lin, and Yang-Chia Shih. 2015. “Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activities of Taiwanese Purple-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea BatatasL. Lam) Extracts.” BioMed Research International 2015: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/768093.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sampath Priya Baandhavi/SSK)