Eating too many French fries could increase risk of Type 2 diabetes: Study

Article content

Apparently, there is such a thing as too many French fries.

And it’s also not just about the amount of fries you could be eating in one sitting but also how many times a week you consume the tasty taters a week that could increase an individual’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, eating three or more servings of fries each week can increase the chance of developing the chronic condition by 20%, while eating fries five times a week can increase the chance by 27%.

“Our findings underscore that the association between potato intake and type 2 diabetes risk depends on the specific foods used as replacement,” the researchers said.

“The findings also align with current dietary recommendations that promote the inclusion of whole grains as part of a healthy diet for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”

The researchers did note that eating similar amounts of potatoes cooked other ways — boiled, baked or mashed, for example — does not substantially increase the risk, only reducing it by 5%.

“The high starch content of potatoes, leading to a high glycemic index and load, combined with possible loss of nutrients and possible health risks resulting from various cooking methods, could contribute to adverse health outcomes,” the study explains.

More than 22,000 cases of Type 2 diabetes were documented during the 37-year time period.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

“Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet, but it’s how we prepare them that makes the difference,” Dr. Kawther Hashem, a lecturer in public health nutrition at Queen Mary University of London and not involved with the study, told the Guardian.

“Boiled, baked or mashed potatoes are naturally low in fat and a source of fibre, vitamin C and potassium,” Hashem continued.

“But when we deep fry them into French fries, especially in large portions and with added salt, they become less healthy with their high-fat, salt and calorie content that’s much more likely to contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.”

For the study, an international team of researchers examined the diets of more than 205,000 adults in the United States who had their eating habits documented every four years between 1984 and 2021.

“Not all potatoes are created equal,” lead author Seyed Mohammad Mousavid, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told NBC News.

“Even a small amount of french fries, less than one serving in the week, is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.”

Replacing potatoes with whole grains, on the other hand, lowers the risk of diabetes by 8%, and if grains are eaten instead of fries specifically, that cuts the risk by 19%.

White rice, however, had a stronger association with diabetes.