Potatoes may fight cancer

Massey University researcher Dr Esther Swee Lan Chong has found that potatoes may have cancer-fighting properties.

Dr Chong carried out a series of in-vitro experiments with extracts of the purple potato variety Urenika and from ordinary white potatoes. She explained that the extracts contained plant-sourced compounds called phytochemicals, many of which were “found at concentrations that have been reported to exert bioactive effects against cancer”.

In experiments with model breast cancer cells MCF-7, the extracts were found to hinder the growth of the cells. Dr Chong then added breast cancer medication tamoxifen to the mix.

“This medicine is not perfect; at a certain dose it can stimulate tumour growth,” Dr Chong said. “I was interested to see what would happen if I combined the drug with the potato extract.”

Her experiments showed that the stimulatory effect disappeared and a reduction in cell growth occurred when tamoxifen was combined with the extracts. Dr Chong thus states that “potato extracts have potential to be used as part of a combined treatment for breast cancer … and [this] warrants future research.”

Professor Julian Heyes, who supervised Dr Chong’s thesis, noted that though it is based purely on laboratory studies, it is a helpful reminder of the benefits of including adequate intakes of fruit and vegetables in our diet.

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