Higher Intake of Total Potatoes Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Follow Drugslib on

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 7, 2025.

via HealthDay

THURSDAY, Aug. 7, 2025 -- A higher intake of total potatoes, especially French fries, is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online Aug. 6 in The BMJ.

Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined the associations between total and individual potato intake and the risk for T2D. Individual data from the Nurses' Health Study (1984 to 2020), Nurses' Health Study II (1991 to 2021), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986 to 2018) were included from 205,107 men and women free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline.

T2D was documented in 22,299 participants during 5,175,501 person-years of follow-up. The researchers found that higher intakes of total potatoes and French fries were associated with an increased risk for T2D after adjustment for updated body mass index and other diabetes-related risk factors. The rate for T2D increased by 5 and 20 percent for every increment of three servings weekly of total potato and French fries, respectively. In substitution analyses, replacing three servings weekly of potatoes with whole grains was estimated to lower T2D rates by 8, 4, and 19 percent for total potatoes; baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes; and French fries, respectively. In a meta-analysis of 13 cohorts with 587,081 participants and 43,471 T2D diagnoses, the pooled hazard ratio for T2D risk with each increment of three servings weekly of total potato and fried potatoes was 1.03 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.05) and 1.16 (95 percent CI, 1.09 to 1.23), respectively.

"Limiting potatoes -- especially limiting French fries -- and choosing healthy, whole grain sources of carbohydrate could help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes across the population," coauthor Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2025-08-08 06:00

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords