The Danger Lurking in Potatoes

Eat more fruit and vegetables for your heart’s sake, is the cry. However, the humble potato, though a vegetable, may carry an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a recent report.  About 85,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study completed food frequency questionnaires over a 20 year period. During this time 4,500 of them were diagnosed as having type2 diabetes. It was found that both potato and French fry consumption were associated with increased risk for the disease.

A daily serving of potatoes carried an increased risk of 18%, two servings of French fries a week an increased risk of 16%, and switching from one serving of whole grains a day to one serving of potatoes a day a 30% increased risk. Not very large increases, but statistically significant, nonetheless.

The first author of the study writes “Potatoes, a high glycemic form of carbohydrate, are hypothesized to increase insulin resistance and risk of type 2 diabetes.” (High-glycemic means the starch is rapidly absorbed into the body.) The association was more obvious in obese and sedentary women, probably due to their underlying insulin resistance.

So, as if you didn’t have enough to remember in trying to eat a healthy diet, you should now switch from potatoes to lower glycemic, high-fiber forms of carbs.