Potatoes Vary in Impact on Health: While Fried Potatoes Contribute to Diabetes, Mashed and Baked Potatoes Remain Diabetes-Friendly

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have shed light on the role of potatoes in type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, emphasising the significance of how these starchy vegetables are prepared.

Over 205,000 participants from three large US health studies were followed for nearly four decades. The findings suggest that potatoes, when part of a balanced diet, are not inherently harmful. However, the way they are cooked does make a difference.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that French fries, with their high fat, salt, and calorie content, can push us toward T2D when consumed regularly. On the other hand, other forms of potatoes, such as boiled, baked, or mashed, do not increase the risk of T2D.

Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, the lead study author, mentioned that the conversation is shifting from whether potatoes are good or bad to how they are prepared. The team's findings highlight that it's not just the food we eat, but how it's prepared and what we replace it with that shapes our health.

The researchers ran a meta-analysis that included data from 13 previous cohort studies on potatoes and 11 on whole grains, covering over half a million people across four continents. They found that swapping baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes with whole grains lowered the risk of T2D by four percent. Substituting any kind of potato for whole grains reduced the risk by eight percent.

Interestingly, replacing potatoes with white rice actually increases the likelihood of developing diabetes. In contrast, swapping fries for whole grains such as brown rice, bulgur, or whole-grain bread cuts diabetes risk by 19 percent.

The study's findings underscore the need for policymakers to pay closer attention to how foods are prepared and what they're replacing. A simple dietary change, such as replacing fries with whole grains, can substantially reduce the chances of developing T2D.

The researchers hope future studies will continue exploring how the preparation of different food items influences human health in the long term. The study serves as a reminder that our dietary choices matter, and understanding the impact of food preparation is crucial in shaping effective dietary guidelines.