Potatoes increase risk of diabetes

Feb 27 2006

Researchers at Harvard University are warning that people who love to eat potatoes run the risk of diabetes.

The researchers say that according to a long-term study of nearly 85,000 US women, the risk factor is especially applicable to obese women who may already be at risk of the disease.

They say a diet high in potato equates to a modestly elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

This is they say is because although potatoes have healthy qualities, they also have a high glycemic index (GI) - meaning they cause a rapid, strong rise in blood sugar.

Such surges over a period of time can cause damage to the pancreatic cells that produce the hormone insulin, which is needed to metabolize blood sugar.

People who are overweight or have sedentary lifestyles may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of high-GI foods because they often have underlying insulin resistance which is a precursor to diabetes, in which body cells lose their sensitivity to insulin.

The researchers say it makes sense then to cut down on foods such as french fries.

According to Thomas L. Halton, the lead author of the new study, he and his colleagues found that women with the highest potato intake were 14 percent more likely than those with the lowest intake to develop diabetes over 20 years.

Also the women who specifically ate the most french fries, had a 21 percent greater risk of diabetes than those who ate the fewest.

The researchers say that general diet and lifestyle habits did not explain the link, and potatoes seemed to be more problematic when a woman ate them instead of whole grains.

Halton's team concludes that whole grains along with many high-fiber vegetables, fruits and legumes, have a lower GI than potatoes and white-flour products and eating such foods could potentially cut diabetes risk.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.