Latest News

Eating potatoes is healthy, study finds


 

Contrary to common belief, potatoes do not have a negative effect on blood glucose levels and can actually help people lose weight, according to researchers at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge.

What to know

Potatoes are filled with key nutrients, packed with health benefits, and do not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, as has been assumed.

People tend to eat the same weight of food regardless of calorie content to feel full, so by eating foods that are heavier in weight and that are low in calories, you can reduce the number of calories you consume.

Study participants found themselves fuller, and full more quickly, and often did not even finish their meal when the high-calorie items of their meals were replaced with potatoes.

Participants had overweight, obesity, or insulin resistance, but their blood glucose levels were not negatively affected by the potato consumption, and all of those involved actually lost weight.

People typically do not stick with a diet they don’t like or that isn't varied enough, but potatoes can be prepared in numerous ways for variety in a diet, and they are a fairly inexpensive vegetable to incorporate into a diet.

This is a summary of the article, "Low-Energy Dense Potato- and Bean-Based Diets Reduce Body Weight and Insulin Resistance: A Randomized, Feeding, Equivalence Trial," published in the Journal of Medicinal Food on November 11, 2022. The full article can be found on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.

Recommended Reading

New Omicron subvariant is ‘crazy infectious,’ COVID expert warns
MDedge Rheumatology
Warfarin best for thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome?
MDedge Rheumatology
Regular vitamin D supplements may lower melanoma risk
MDedge Rheumatology
Is it time for yet another COVID booster? It’s complicated
MDedge Rheumatology
Geriatrician advises on use of vitamin D supplementation, lecanemab, and texting for her patients
MDedge Rheumatology
Teamwork guides cardio-rheumatology clinics that care for unique patient population
MDedge Rheumatology
Canadian guidance recommends reducing alcohol consumption
MDedge Rheumatology
Six healthy lifestyle habits linked to slowed memory decline
MDedge Rheumatology
Washington medical board charges doctor with spreading COVID misinformation
MDedge Rheumatology
COVID emergency orders ending: What’s next?
MDedge Rheumatology