Eating potatoes on a regular basis may up risk of T2DM

(HealthDay)—Greater potato consumption is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Diabetes Care.

Isao Muraki, M.D., Ph.D., from Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Japan, and colleagues assessed data from three cohorts to examine the correlation between potato consumption and T2D. Potato consumption was assessed for 70,773 women from the Nurses' Health Study, 87,739 women from Nurses' Health Study II, and 40,669 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

The researchers identified 15,362 new cases of T2D during 3,988,007 person-years of follow-up. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors, there was an elevated risk of T2D for higher consumption of total potatoes (including baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes and French fries), with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.07 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.18) for two to four servings/week and 1.33 (95 percent CI, 1.17 to 1.52) for seven or more servings/week, compared with less than one serving/week. For every three servings/week, the pooled hazard ratios for T2D were 1.04 (95 percent CI, 1.01 to 1.08) for baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes and 1.19 (95 percent CI, 1.13 to 1.25) for French fries.

"Greater consumption of potatoes, especially French fries, was associated with a higher T2D risk, independent of body mass index and other risk factors," the authors write.