BOSTON, Massachusetts: A Harvard-led study found that eating three servings of French fries per week was associated with a 20% higher relative risk of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers analysed data from 205,107 US adults across three long-running health studies. None had diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer when the research began.
The team recorded 22,299 cases of type 2 diabetes across more than 5.17 million person-years. Participants completed dietary questionnaires during follow-up periods spanning more than 30 years.
After accounting for body mass index and other risk factors, researchers found a 20% higher risk of diabetes for every three weekly servings of French fries. The estimate ranged from 12% to 28% within a 95% confidence interval.
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By contrast, baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes showed no statistically significant link with type 2 diabetes. Total potato consumption showed a smaller 5% increase, largely driven by French fries.
Moreover, a statistical substitution analysis estimated that replacing three weekly servings of French fries with whole grains could reduce the diabetes rate by 19%. Replacing non-fried potatoes with whole grains produced an estimated 4% reduction.
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A separate analysis covered 13 prospective cohorts, 587,081 participants and 43,471 diabetes diagnoses. It found a 16% higher diabetes rate for every three weekly servings of fried potatoes.
