Chips raise greater health risks than other potato forms: study

An international team led by a Public Health Expert at Harvard University found a shocking relationship between chip consumption regularly and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Seyed Mohammad Mousavi examined the relationship between potato consumption and the disease, analyzing food questionnaires from 205,000 US health professionals who collected every four years between 1984 and 2021, The guardian reported.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that eating chips three times a week was associated with a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Their consumption five times a week increased the risk by 27%. On the contrary, having roasted, boiled or mashed potatoes with the same frequency increased the risk by only 5%.

The researchers stressed that potatoes themselves are not an immediate health threat, but we fry them to make chips – often with additional fat, salt and large portions – is more likely to diagnose diabetes.

“The potato’s high -starch content, which leads to high glycemic index and load, combined with possible loss of nutrients and potential health risks resulting from various cooking methods, could contribute to adverse health effects,” the study said.

The findings also showed that replacement of potato with whole grains reduced the risk of diabetes by 8%, while replacement of beans reduced it by 19%. However, alternating potato for white rice increased the risk.

Dr. Kawther Hashem, a lecturer in public health diet at the University of Queen Maria in London, said: “Potatoes can be part of a healthy diet, but it is how we prepare them that make the difference.

“But when we fry them deeply into brands or fried potatoes, especially in large portions and with additional salt, they become less healthy with the high fat, salt and calories content that are much more likely to help increase body weight and increase the risk.

Worldwide, potatoes are the third most often consumed foods after rice and wheat. In the United Kingdom, nine of 10 of estimated 5.8 million people with diabetes are in the form of type 2, which is closely linked to lifestyle and nutrition.

The researchers stressed that their findings were observant and did not prove no direct relationship of cause and effect. The Food Model Service and the Ministry of Health and Social Care refused to comment.