Potatoes Tied to Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes; French Fries Worst

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Potatoes Tied to Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes; French Fries Worst


Eating potatoes may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and replacing them with whole grains may lower this risk, according to a study published online December 17 in Diabetes Care.
“Although potatoes are considered a vegetable in the US Guideline of Healthy Eating, potatoes should not be regarded as a key component of a healthful diet. These data support the notion that potatoes should be considered a source of carbohydrates like grains, especially refined grains, rather than vegetables,” commented first author Isao Muraki, MD, PhD, of the Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Japan, and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
“Potatoes contain a large amount of starch and a relatively small amount of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols,” he added, “Lower quality and quantity of carbohydrate is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.”
Moreover, when potatoes are served hot their starch becomes more easily digestible and raises blood glucose levels more quickly, he explained.


Starchy foods with highly processed grains that have been stripped of dietary fiber act more like sugar in the body. They are rapidly digested and absorbed, raising blood levels of glucose and prompting the secretion of insulin to process it. When consumed in excess of the body’s need for immediate and stored energy, refined carbs and sugars can result in insulin resistance and contribute to fatty liver disease.
Alas, potatoes, the nation’s most popular vegetable, act like sugars and refined carbohydrates. They have what is called a high glycemic index, the ability to raise blood glucose rapidly. Potatoes, Dr. Hu explained, are made of long chains of glucose easily digested by enzymes in the mouth and stomach, and the fat in French fries slows the process only slightly.
Participants who increased their potato consumption over time — especially french fries — had an increased risk of diabetes. For every three servings per week increase, they had a 4% increased risk of diabetes compared with those who ate the same amounts of potatoes over time.
Estimates showed that replacing three servings per week of potatoes (regardless of type) with whole grains would decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes by 12%. Similar findings resulted from analyses by potato type (french fries and baked, boiled, or mashed).
Because study participants were health professionals of European ancestry, these results may not extend to other ethnic and demographic groups, the authors note.
“Potato food consumption should be reduced for people with elevated risk of developing diabetes or insulin resistance,” Dr Muraki emphasized. “Healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts, rather than potatoes, should be encouraged for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”



Diabetes Care. Published online December 17, 2015.Abstract

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