Bioscience Evidence 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 260-269 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 263 activity of immune cells, thereby making the body's disease resistance stronger. Some experiments have also found that sweet potato polysaccharides can improve the immune status in the intestine and reduce inflammation. 4.5 Cardiovascular health The dietary fiber, polyphenols and flavonoids in sweet potatoes may be beneficial to cardiovascular health, such as lowering blood lipids, improving vascular endothelial function and reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. In animal experiments, purple sweet potato flavonoids can reduce LDL cholesterol, alleviate inflammation, and also improve cardiovascular problems related to diabetes (Laveriano-Santos et al., 2022). Some population studies have also found that eating sweet potatoes may increase HDL cholesterol, which can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 4.6 Potential for cancer prevention Sweet potatoes contain anthocyanins, polyphenols and carotenoids, which have antioxidant and anti-mutagenic capabilities. Therefore, they have shown potential to fight cancer in some experiments. Animal and in vitro studies have found that sweet potato extract can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, promote apoptosis of cancer cells, and act through multiple pathways (Grebla-Al-Zaben et al., 2021). However, there is currently a lack of large-scale clinical studies, so further verification is still needed. Figure 1 Sweet potato (SP; Ipomoea batatas L.) group of phytochemicals with associated health-promoting effects. Preventive actions (clockwise): Immunocompromise (A), prooxidant (B), diabetes (C), adiposity (D), inflammatory (E), infection (F), cardiovascular (G) diseases/metabolic rearrangements. Source: The authors (CC (by/nc/sa)-licensed clip art) (Adopted from Escobar-Puentes et al., 2022)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==