In recent years, low or no-carbohydrate diets have become popular, leading to the potato being overlooked in favor of other vegetables. Research has even suggested that potatoes may have a negative impact on health, including an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
However, new Edith Cowan University research has shown while potatoes may not have all the same benefits as some other vegetables — such as lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes — health issues associated with potatoes may actually be due to how people are preparing them and what they’re eating them with.
More than 54,000 people reported their dietary intake for the long-term Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study. A recent analysis of this study led by Dr. Nicola Bondonno from ECU’s Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute found people who consumed the most vegetables were 21 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who consumed the least amount of vegetables.
Ph.D. candidate Pratik Pokharel carried out work on the analysis and said while potatoes didn’t have the same impact on Type 2 diabetes, they also didn’t have any negative effect. “In previous studies, potatoes have been positively linked to the incidence of diabetes, regardless of how they’re prepared, but we found that’s not true.”
Source: scitechdaily.com