Eating chips increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with consuming boiled, baked or mashed potatoes, scientists say.

An international team of researchers investigating links between potato consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes looked at medical data for more than 205,000 health workers in the US.

The workers answered surveys about their diets over almost four decades, with some 22,000 cases of type 2 diabetes documented.

The research team found consumption of baked, boiled or mashed potatoes was not linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

But people who had a higher consumption of french fries – at least three weekly servings – had a 20 per cent increased risk.

And those who eat fries five times a week appeared to have a 27 per cent increased risk.

“The risks associated with potato intake varied by cooking method,” the authors wrote in The BMJ.

“The association between higher potato intake and increased T2D risk is primarily driven by intake of french fries.

“Higher intake of french fries, but not combined baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes, was associated with a higher risk of T2D.”

The research team also found that replacing three servings of potatoes each week with whole grains was found to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by eight per cent.

“Replacing any form of potatoes, particularly french fries, with whole grains is estimated to lower the risk of T2D, reinforcing the importance of promoting whole grains as an essential part of a healthy diet,” they wrote.

But replacing potatoes with white rice was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, they found.

The research team also performed a review of all other studies on the topic, which had similar findings.

“This finding also corresponds to the observed associations between high intake of ultra-processed foods and high risk of type 2 diabetes – french fries are often ultra-processed, whereas baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes are often minimally processed,” experts from the US and Denmark wrote in a linked editorial, also published in The BMJ.

“With their relatively low environmental impact and their health impact, potatoes can be part of a healthy and sustainable diet, though whole grains should remain a priority.”

Source: PA