1er March 2006 – Women who regularly consume potatoes and French fries markedly increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially if they are obese and sedentary.
This is what researchers at Harvard University in the United States have just established by studying certain data drawn from a major epidemiological survey, the Nurses’ Health Study. They found that among the participants in this study, those who ate the most potatoes (0.79 servings per day, one serving representing 237 ml) increased their risk of developing diabetes by 14%, compared to women who had them. consumed the least (0.07 servings per day)1.
This link was particularly marked among obese and sedentary women, who are already more at risk than the general population of having this disease.
However, this percentage rises to 21% if we specifically talk about fries rather than potatoes. The number of servings (113 g) per day varied here from 0 to 0.14. Part of the reason, the researchers say, is that French fries often contain high amounts of trans fat.
But no matter how they’re dressed, potatoes have a high glycemic index. The ingestion of these vegetables causes indeed a rapid rise in the blood glucose level. Thus, according to the researchers, the cells of the pancreas responsible for the production of insulin – necessary to metabolize glucose – would be damaged in the long term. This could result in the onset of diabetes.
In addition, women who consume more potatoes and French fries would also eat more red meat, refined grains and ingest more calories, according to the results of this study published in the American Journal of Nutrition.
In this regard, the researchers point out that the consumption of potatoes and French fries is part of a Western diet rich in fat and sugar. They therefore recognize that we cannot completely distinguish the impact of these foods in relation to the overall eating habits, which would contribute to the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Note that one of the authors of this study is Dr Walter Willett, director of the Department of Nutrition at the School of Public Health at Harvard University, who in 2001 published his own version of the American food pyramid in his book Eat, Drink and Be Healthy. He recommended, among other things, to eat only exceptionally potatoes, white bread and refined cereals (rice, pasta) that he associates more with sweets than with healthy foods.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Halton TL, Willet CW, et al. Potato and french fry consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in women, Am J Clin Nutr, 2006 Feb; 83 (2): 284-90.