“Sweet potato is a super anti-cancer food. Eating it can fight cancer!”
“Sweet potato is high in sugar and is a catalyst for liver cancer!”
….. .
Sweet potato can be said to be the favorite food of many people, but there are many legends about sweet potato. Some people say that it is anti-cancer, and some people say that it is carcinogenic. Who is right and who is wrong?
1. Japanese research: sweet potato is a super anti-cancer food, can inhibit 98% of cancer cells?
In an article on the ranking of cancer-suppressing vegetables, it is reported that the top three vegetables with the best cancer-suppressing effect announced by the Cancer Prevention Institute are: cooked sweet potato 98.7%, Raw sweet potato 94.4%, asparagus 93.9%.
The rumor first came from a Japanese book, which introduced an experiment: adding vegetable extracts to cell culture medium to observe the proliferation and mutation of tumor cells. The percentage recorded in the article is the “inhibition rate” of tumor cell proliferation.
The question is, can eating sweet potatoes fight cancer?
Substances that are effective in in vitro tests are not necessarily effective in in vivo tests. In vitro tests are the use of microorganisms, cells or biomolecules to operate in environments other than living organisms, and the results of in vitro tests The effects of a drug on an entire organism cannot be predicted completely or accurately.
Gu Chuanling, deputy secretary-general of the Capital Society of Health and Nutrition Gastronomy, said that some studies have found that sugar lipids, storage proteins and other ingredients in sweet potatoes It has anti-cancer effects, but these studies are still based on preliminary experiments such as animal experiments and cell experiments. Even in clinical trials, sweet potato extract was used in the experiment, not the sweet potato itself.
It can be seen that the effect of sweet potato extract on cells that leave the human body is not the same as “sweet potato anti-cancer”.
Second, there are still rumors: sweet potato is a catalyst for liver cancer?
There are also rumors that the high sugar content of sweet potatoes can lead to the accumulation of lipids in the liver, resulting in decreased liver function and eventually liver cancer.
Clearly, this statement is biased.
Sweet potato itself is not high in calories and is a good weight loss food. Compared with steamed bread and rice, sweet potatoes have a stronger satiety and lower energy. Compared with traditional staple foods, sweet potatoes have lower sugar content, and sweet potatoes are also rich in cellulose and pectin, dietary fiber helps to delay the absorption of sugar and fat in food strong>, eating sweet potatoes properly is more helpful for calorie and fat control.
So those who want to lose weight at ordinary times can eat sweet potatoes instead of rice noodles.
Third, can diabetics eat sweet potatoes? Glycemic or hypoglycemic?
Many diabetic patients worry that although sweet potatoes are low in calories, they contain more sugar. Will it affect blood sugar levels after eating them?
Boiled sweet potatoes had a glycemic index of 76.7 (a food above 70 is a high glycemic index food), while cooled sweet potatoes had a glycemic index of 54 (low GI foods), the difference in the glycemic index between the two is about 20. It can be seen that sweet potatoes are not high GI foods and will not cause large blood sugar fluctuations.
Some people say that sweet potatoes are good for lowering blood sugar. But in fact, this statement is that the carbohydrates are lower than those of rice noodles. For sugar lovers, replacing rice with sweet potatoes can help control blood sugar.
Actually, there are no hypoglycemic foods, and sweet potatoes are no exception. As long as you eat, your blood sugar will rise, but at a different rate. Different foods have different rates of digestion and absorption, and the rate at which blood sugar rises. Many so-called “glycemic foods” are simply foods with a lower glycemic index.
In order to avoid high blood sugar fluctuations in sweet potatoes, the advice for diabetics to eat sweet potatoes:
The sugar content of sweet potatoes About 20%, Eating 100 grams of sweet potatoes will correspondingly reduce the staple food by 25 grams to help maintain the total calorie intake. If you eat rice after eating sweet potatoes, it may cause blood sugar to rise due to excessive sugar intake.
Fourth, eat sweet potatoes and keep these things in mind for more peace of mind
Although sweet potatoes are good, you should also pay attention to how you eat them, otherwise it will also cause physical discomfort.
1. Don’t eat raw, eat more
The starch film in sweet potatoes needs to be processed at high temperature for better digestion. Raw sweet potato starch film is not decomposed, and it may cause heartburn, flatulence, nausea, etc. after eating it.
2. It is best not to eat sweet potato skins
Sweet potato skins contain more alkaloids, and eating too much may cause Causes gastrointestinal discomfort, especially sweet potato skins with black spots are not edible.
3. Do not eat those with black spots on the outside
Sweet potatoes with black spots are mostly affected by Black spot bacteria The infection of black spot virus contains ketone and sweet potato ketol, which can cause food poisoning.
4. Remember to reduce the staple food after eating
Sweet potatoes contain almost the same amount of carbohydrates and energy as the same amount of rice, so eat a certain amount of sweet potatoes, It is necessary to reduce the intake of other staple foods by the same amount, otherwise it is easy to exceed the standard of carbohydrates and increase blood sugar.
Sweet potato is essentially a kind of food, and it is also a kind of coarse grain. In modern times, where the diet is too refined, it is recommended that everyone eat more coarse grains. The “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)” recommends 50-100 grams of potatoes (sweet potato) per day. (or potatoes, etc.), do not misunderstand sweet potatoes because of the rumors that sweet potatoes are anti-cancer or carcinogenic.
References;
[1] “Why do some people eat sweet potatoes to lose weight, and some people eat them? Is sweet potato fattening? The truth is…”. Health Times. 2021-10-07
[2] “Second Hospital Mission | Sweet potatoes are high in sugar, can sugar lovers eat sweet potatoes?”. Mengzhou Minsheng Hospital Second Hospital Service Number.2020-10-15