Boiled, Baked, or Fried? How You Prep Your Potatoes May Increase Your Diabetes Threat

Excellent news, spuds lovers: New analysis discovered that, though usually consuming French fries elevated the chance of sort 2 diabetes, consuming potatoes in different varieties—reminiscent of mashed, baked, or boiled—didn’t have an effect on sort 2 diabetes threat.

The research, printed in The BMJ, additionally revealed that changing any type of potatoes with entire grains may decrease the chance of creating the illness.

This analysis isn’t the primary to look at the consequences of potatoes on diabetes threat. “We did this research as a result of earlier analysis on potatoes and kind 2 diabetes had blended outcomes—some research confirmed a better threat, others didn’t, and some even recommended potatoes is perhaps protecting,” research writer Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, PhD, a postdoctoral analysis fellow at Harvard College, informed Well being. 

“One large problem was that a lot of these research didn’t have a look at how the potatoes had been ready—like fries versus boiled—or what folks had been consuming as an alternative,” he mentioned.

Blood sugar management isn’t any small concern for Individuals. In keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, as of 2024, about 38 million folks within the U.S.—or one in 10—had diabetes, of which 90 to 95% had sort 2.

Weight loss program performs a serious function within the improvement and administration of sort 2—and potatoes have lengthy been dogged by a status for being unhealthy for blood sugar. As a result of they’re excessive in carbohydrates and have a excessive glycemic index (i.e., how rapidly they increase blood sugar), many individuals with sort 2 diabetes keep away from them.

As Mousavi famous, some earlier research have lumped all sorts of potatoes collectively for his or her results on sort 2 diabetes. Outcomes from three potential cohort research in 2015, for instance, concluded that higher consumption of potatoes normally (however particularly French fries) was related to a better sort 2 diabetes threat. A 2018 research had comparable outcomes, exhibiting a connection between potato consumption and threat—once more, extra so for French fries.

Researchers needed to take a extra nuanced have a look at the connection between potato consumption and diabetes threat. Utilizing knowledge from three ongoing analysis applications, researchers adopted over 200,000 well being professionals for as much as 36 years, usually accumulating detailed details about their diets and life. Dietary questionnaires confirmed the frequency with which they consumed French-fried, baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes. It additionally tracked their consumption of entire grains.

By evaluating this knowledge with the variety of new diagnoses of sort 2 diabetes, the researchers decided that three servings weekly of French fries elevated the chance of creating sort 2 diabetes by 20%. Baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes, alternatively, weren’t considerably related to an elevated threat.

In the meantime, swapping potatoes for entire grains had an much more constructive consequence. Changing three servings weekly of complete potatoes with entire grains like entire wheat pasta, bread, or farro was estimated to decrease the sort 2 diabetes charge by 8%. Exchanging servings of French fries for entire grains lowered the speed by 19%.

Relating to potatoes well being, the cooking technique can have an enormous affect. “The nutrient composition of meals can change throughout preparation and cooking,” Alyssa Tindall, RD, PhD, an assistant professor of well being sciences at Ursinus School, informed Well being. “For instance, deep frying meals, reminiscent of within the case of potatoes to make French fries, will increase the fats content material of the meals, which may affect digestion, absorption, and illness threat.”

Earlier analysis has proven that larger consumption of fried meals is considerably related to threat of each sort 2 diabetes and coronary artery illness.

In keeping with Mousavi, the oils and temperatures used for frying are main culprits right here. “French fries are normally deep-fried at very excessive temperatures, usually in oils that—throughout a lot of our research interval—contained trans fat and produced different dangerous compounds,” he mentioned.

Cooking oils at extraordinarily excessive temperatures can create oxidation, a driver of irritation that will contribute to the event of sort 2 diabetes.

Alternatively, cooking strategies like baking, boiling, and mashing don’t normally add these components. For that reason—and contemplating their useful vitamins like fiber and potassium—non-fried potatoes may very well enhance weight-reduction plan high quality in folks with sort 2 diabetes. Actually, the American Diabetes Affiliation says potatoes can match on a diabetes-friendly meal plan.

As for the advantages of swapping potatoes for entire grains, fiber explains rather a lot, Tindall informed Well being. “Complete grains are normally wealthy in fiber, which maintains more healthy blood glucose concentrations,” she mentioned. “Fiber slows the absorption of carbohydrates (glucose) into the blood, which helps higher glucose regulation.”

Apart from retaining French fries to a minimal, a number of different dietary methods can assist stop sort 2 diabetes. In keeping with the Nationwide Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Illnesses, greatest practices embody:

Consuming smaller parts of meals which can be excessive in energy, fats, and sugar.
Ingesting water as an alternative of sweetened drinks like soda, sports activities drinks, and fruit juice.
Selecting meals with much less trans fats, saturated fats, and added sugars.
Making wholesome swaps the place attainable (subbing a baked potato for French fries is one good instance).

Made constantly, these and different easy decisions add as much as threat discount. “You don’t have to surrender your favourite meals, however small modifications—like consuming fries much less usually, baking as an alternative of frying, and selecting entire grains as your main supply of carb—could make an actual distinction in your long-term well being,” mentioned Mousavi.