Beware of the Potato?

A long-term study of 85,000 US women found that passing on potatoes may help prevent type 2 diabetes. The Harvard University study found that women with the highest potato intake had a moderately elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes.The researchers noted that the association was strongest among obese women, who already face an increased risk of the disease, implying that heavy potato consumption may pose a particular problem for this group.

Reporting in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (February 1, 2006), the researchers found that women with the highest potato intake were 14% more apt to develop diabetes over 20 years, compared with women who had the lowest consumption of potatoes. Women who ate more French fries in particular had a 21% higher risk of diabetes, compared with women who ate less.