Pregnant women have usually unpredictable food cravings, but at no point should you indulge in french fries or mashed potatoes. According to a new research, the high starch content of potatoes increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes, a disease in which the sugar level rises alarmingly, in pregnant women.
For more than ten years, researchers monitored the diet of over 15,000 women from the U.S. They found out that women who consumed one serving of potato a week increased their chances of developing gestational diabetes to 20 per cent, while those who had two to four portions per week raised the risk to 27 per cent, according to The Telegraph UK.
Obviously, those who consume more servings of potatoes per week are most likely to develop the disease. Pregnant women who ate five or more portions per week are 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
Of course, anything in excess is dangerous that is why women who opted to replace a serving of potato in favor of a plate of peas or lentils decreased their chances of getting the disease by up to 12 per cent.
We found that higher pre-pregnancy consumption of potatoes was significantly associated with a greater risk of gestational diabetes, even after adjustment for other major risk factors," explained Dr. Cuilin Zhang, lead author of the study. "Substitution of potatoes with other vegetables, legumes, or whole grain foods was associated with a lower risk."
A separate study claims that eating moderate amount of potatoes, as well as cabbages and cauliflowers, decreases the risk of getting stomach cancer. Chinese scientists found that people who eat large amounts of white and green vegetables get sufficient amount of Vitamin C, which ward off the cellular stress that forms in the stomach, The Independent reported.
Furthermore, the study rings true to all kinds of potatoes including fried, dried, boiled, or mashed. The culprit is not on the added ingredient (although these can contribute, too), but on the high starch found on the root vegetable.
Mashable noted that potatoes have high glycemic indexes which leads to high sugar levels. Having varied diet by replacing potatoes with lentil and other vegetables, however, should keep your sugar levels at bay.