Eating potatoes four times a week has been found to increase the risk of high blood pressure, according to a new study. Regardless if potatoes are mashed, boiled, or baked, potatoes are still linked to an increased danger.
People who ate four or more servings of potatoes a week had an increased risk of blood pressure by 11 percent, compared to people who ate potatoes less than once a month. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have found that eating any form of potato too often can cause problems in blood pressure.
Published in the British Medical Journal, experts analyze the data of 187,000 people from three large U.S. projects in a span of 20 years. The results showed that women who regularly eat potatoes have a slightly higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure compared to men.
Those who ate chips four or more times a week were exposed to a higher risk of 17 percent. Chips contain far more fat due to the frying process that increases other health risks.
Researchers suspect that the starch found in potatoes is the culprit that increases blood pressure levels, according to Daily Mail. Potatoes have a high glycemic index, which allows the body to release more energy and therefore raise blood sugars faster. The starchy carbohydrates can then transform into sugar and lead to a rise in blood sugar levels and eventually blood sugar problems.
The findings challenge the current UK dietary advice of eating meals based on a starchy carbohydrate such as rice, pasta, bread or potatoes. Experts of the study suggested that potatoes should no longer be considered a vegetable.
Experts explain that he findings of their study offer important health ramifications as it does not support the benefit of including potatoes as vegetables in government food programs. The Public Health England, however, said that they would not change their dietary advice based on the study, according to The Guardian.
Not all experts agree to the suggestion, as focusing on individual foods was less useful compared to examining an overall diet, according to researchers from the University of New South Wales. These types of studies can only indicate an association, but not a cause and effect, according to Victoria Taylor, which is the senior dietician from the British Heart Foundation.
