French Fries Increase Diabetes Risk...Boiled and grilled potatoes are okay
Aug 07, 2025
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This is the result of a study by Dr. Seyed Mohammad Musavi of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Potatoes rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium are considered foods with high blood sugar index (GI) due to their high starch content.
The research team analyzed diet and diabetes outcomes from data from three studies (NHS, NHS II, and HPFS) involving 205,107 health care workers from 1984 to 2021, investigating the link between potato recipes and diabetes, and the health effects of potato alternatives. Participants who regularly responded to dietary surveys for more than 30 years recorded the frequency of consumption of certain foods such as fries, boiled/baked/cooked potatoes, and whole grains in detail, and also reported health examinations, lifestyle, and demographic factors.
In a follow-up period of up to 40 years, 22,299 people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and the analysis showed that those who eat fries three times a week had a 20% higher risk of developing them than those who do not. However, boiling, baking, or eating similar amounts in crushed form was not significantly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
In addition, replacing any type of potato with whole grains reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, but replacing potatoes with white rice rather increased the risk. Replacing potatoes with whole grains three times a week reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 19%, and replacing boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes with whole grains reduced the risk by 4% overall.
The research team said the findings show that the association between potato consumption and type 2 diabetes risk depends on recipes and alternative foods, and that they are also consistent with current dietary recommendations that encourage wholegrain consumption to prevent type 2 diabetes.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
