The frequent consumption of purple potatoes can decrease the risk of colon cancer, claim the researchers of a compelling new study. According to the DailyMail.co.uk, the researchers came to this conclusion after they gave pigs a high-calorie diet that included purple potatoes. In doing so they found that the levels of a detrimental, pro-inflammatory protein declined considerably.

"What we are learning is food is a double-edge sword – it may promote disease, but it may also help prevent chronic diseases, like colon cancer," said Jairam K.P. Vanamala, study co-author and professor of food sciences at Pennsylvania State University in State College."What we don't know is, 'how does this food work on the molecular level?' This study is a step in that direction."

For their study, Vanamala and his colleagues utilized pigs, which are notable for having digestive systems similar to ours. These pigs were then fed three different diets for 13 weeks: a standard diet with five percent fat (or the control diet), a high-calorie diet composed of 17 percent added dry fat and three to four percent endogenous fat, and a high-calorie diet with both raw and uncooked purple potatoes.