Purple potato protection

A PURPLE sweet potato could be a new "superfood" – and scientists say the vegetable may stop people from getting cancer.

The designer potato, grown for its anti-cancer purple pigment, is also said to contain anti-ageing and antioxidant chemicals.

An expert in the US has developed the variety of sweet potato with a thick purple skin and flesh to increase its cancer-fighting properties.

Soyoung Lim, a researcher from Kansas State University,

said the colouring contained the chemical anthocyanin, which lowers the risk of cancer and could even slow down certain types of the disease.

The purple sweet potato is due for clinical trials next year.