Potatoes

Potato (Sweet Potatoes Below)

Most studies that I have come across mentioning potatoes in the diet focus on French fries. While consuming French fries appears unhealthy, there are many different ways of consuming potatoes. Still, if any research had found that potatoes were a health food, i.e., the the higher consumption of potatoes other the French fries was linked to lower disease or living longer, I am sure I would have noticed studies reporting this.

Potatoes are probably a harmless food when consumed in moderation, without salt or unhealthy fats such as butter or hydrogenated margarine or in the form of French fries.

Shortening, Smoked Meats Bad, French Fries Maybe Bad; Tea Good: Risk factors for lung cancer among women who had never smoked were assessed in a case-control study of 161 newly diagnosed histologically confirmed cases and 483 population controls between 1994 and 1997 in eight Canadian provinces. Measurement included socio-economic status, smoking habits, alcohol use, diet, residential and occupational histories and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Dose-response associations were observed for consumption of tea, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) 0.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.3-0.9) for 1-7 cups per week and 0.4 (95% CI = 0.2-0.7) for > or = 8 cups per week (P = 0.0008), and smoked meat, adjusted ORs 1.3 (95% CI = 0.8-2.3) for 0.5 slice per week and 2.1 (95% CI = 1.1-4.0) for >0.5 slice per week (P = 0.02). Regular use of shortening in cooking was also related to lung cancer. Increased ORs with borderline significance were found for total consumption of meat, eggs or French fries and fried potatoes.

Potatoes: Avoid French Fries: In a long-term study of 85,000 United States women, Harvard University found that women with the highest potato intake were 14% more likely than those with the lowest intake to develop diabetes type-2 over 20 years. And women who ate the most french fries, specifically, had a 21% greater risk of diabetes than those who ate the fewest. The link was strongest among obese women, who are already at increased risk of the disease. The absence of whole grains increased the harmful effect. Thomas L Halton, et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2/06.

French Fries Considered Imprudent for Women: In the Harvard Nurses Study of 69,017 women ages 38-63, the women were followed for many years. The model diet was characterized by higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, poultry, and whole grains, while the Western diet was characterized by higher intakes of red and processed meats, sweets and desserts, French fries, and refined grains. Between 1984 and 1996, the women suffered 821 cases of coronary heart disease (CHD). After adjusting for coronary risk factors, the model diet score was associated with a 24% decreased risk of heart disease, i.e., arelative risk (RR) of 0.76 (P = 0.03) comparing the highest with lowest quintile. Extreme quintile comparison yielded a 46% increased risk (an RR of 1.46) for the Western pattern. Those who were jointly in the highest prudent diet quintile and lowest Western diet quintile had a 36% lower risk of heart disease (an RR of 0.64) compared with those with the opposite pattern profile. Fung TT, Arch Intern Med 2001 Aug 13-27;161(15):1857-62

French Fries Also Imprudent for Men: 44,875 men ages 40-75 without diagnosed cardiovascular disease or cancer in 8 years of follow-up had 1089 cases of CHD (nonfatal myocardial infarction and fatal CHD). Using factor analysis, researchers identified 2 major dietary patterns using dietary data collected through a 131-item FFQ. The first factor, the "prudent pattern," was characterized by higher intake of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, fish, and poultry, whereas the second factor, the "Western pattern," was characterized by higher intake of red meat, processed meat, refined grains, sweets and dessert, French fries, and high-fat dairy products. After adjustment for age and CHD risk factors, the relative risks from the lowest to highest quintiles of the prudent pattern score were 1.0, 0.87, 0.79, 0.75, and 0.70 (P = 0.0009). In contrast, the relative risks across increasing quintiles of the Western pattern score were 1.0, 1.21, 1.36, 1.40, and 1.64 (P < 0.0001). These associations persisted in subgroup analyses according to cigarette smoking, body mass index, and parental history of myocardial infarction. Rimm, Harvard, Am J Clin Nutr 2000 Oct;72(4):912-21

Fast Food Restaurants, French Fries Associated with Obesity: 21% of 891 women ages 20-45 reported eating at least 3 fast food meals per week. The frequency of fast food restaurant use was associated with higher total energy intake, higher percentage fat energy, more frequent consumption of hamburgers, French fries and soft drinks, and less frequent consumption of fiber and fruit. The frequency of fast food restaurant use was higher among younger women, those with lower income, non-European ethnicity, greater body weight, lower dietary restraint, fewer low-fat eating behaviors, and greater television viewing. Over 3 years, increases in frequency of fast food restaurant use were associated with increases in body weight, total energy intake, percentage fat intake, intake of hamburgers, French fries and soft drinks, and with decreases in physical activity, dietary restraint and low-fat eating behaviors. Intake of several other foods, including fruits and vegetables, did not differ by frequency of fast food restaurant use. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000 Oct;24(10):1353-9

French Fries, Chocolate No Colon Adenomas; Sweentened Baked Goods Bad: In a study of 234 cases and 407 controls, foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils were divided into four groups: sweetened baked goods, chocolate candy, oils and condiments, and french fries and chips. Researchers found no evidence of increased adenoma prevalence associated with consumption of fries and chips (200+ vs 0 kcals/day: odds ratio (OR) = 0.70; 95% confidence limits (CL) = 0.27, 1.8) or chocolate candy (50+ vs 0 kcals/day: OR = 0.49; 95% CL = 0.23, 1.1). However, adenoma prevalence increased with consumption of sweetened baked goods (400+ vs < 100 kcals/day: OR = 1.9; 95% CL = 0.95, 3.8) and oils and condiments (200+ vs < 100 kcals/day: OR = 2.4). UNC Epidemiology 2000 Jul;11(4):469-73

Less Breast Cancer with Bean Curd, Fish, Green-yellow Vegetables, Sweet Potato & Potato: A Japanese study of 1,118 with cancer and 36,944 without found decreasing trends of breast cancer risk were associated with intake of bean curd, green-yellow vegetables, potato or sweet potato, chicken and ham or sausage in premenopausal women, while in postmenopausal women a risk reduction was associated with a more frequent intake of boiled, broiled and/or raw fish. Jpn J Cancer Res 1995 Feb;86(2):146-54

Acrylamides Highest in French Fries & Potato Chips: Swedish study found low levels of these cancer causing chemicals only in boiled potatoes. A wide variety of carbohydrates were studied but French fries and potato chips had the high levels. J Agric & Food Chemistry 7/14/02

Sweet Potatoes

Benefit Highly Questionable: A review of studies on PubMed 10/13/01 found a number of studies in which sweet potato consumption was associated with gastric, breast, and hepatic cancers and none where associated with benefits. The reasons appear to be aflatoxin content and low protein.

Primary Liver Cancer: In an African case-control study, aflatoxin intake had the following sources: 51.2% came from cassava, 20.3% from corn, 6.8% from peanuts and 5.8% from sweet potato. The mean aflatoxin load per day of liver cancer victims as found to be 440% that of the controls. Upon grouping dietary aflatoxin loads (and alcohol intakes) into Heavy and Light, and upon comparing cases versus controls, the relative risk (RR) of developing primary liver cancer was found to be statistically significant in the following order of rank: cassava, peanuts, sweet potato, corn and alcohol. Boiled rice which had negligible aflatoxin content gave no difference in risk. Combining aflatoxin load and alcohol intake gave a synergistic and a statistically significant effect on RR with Light Aflatoxin, Light Alcohol as RR = 1. Results: Light Aflatoxin, Heavy Alcohol RR = 3.9; Heavy Aflatoxin, Light Alcohol RR = 17.5; Heavy Aflatoxin, Heavy Alcohol RR = 35.0. : Int J Epidemiol 1982 Jun;11(2):112-9

Thomas E. Radecki, M.D., J.D.

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