The Association of Potato Intake With Risk for Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Adults

Previous studies indicate that the risk for diabetes associated with high consumption of potato differs in various populations. We aimed to investigate the associations between total, boiled and fried potato intake and the risk for incident diabetes in Tehranian adults.

This cohort study was conducted in 1,981 adults, aged 19 to 70 years, who participated in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study and were followed up for 6 years. Usual dietary potato intakes were assessed using a valid and reliable food-frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric, biochemical and blood pressure data were determined, and diabetes was defined according to the criteria of the American Diabetes Association.

The mean (± SD) age and potato intake of participants was 38.9±13.4 years and 30.2±30.7 g/day, respectively. The risk for incident diabetes in participants was 6.7% after 6 years of follow up. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, family history of diabetes, hypertension, serum triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, energy intakes and consumption of saturated fat, fruit, whole grains, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the risk for incident diabetes was lower in subjects with higher intakes of total potato (OR=0.46; 95% CI 0.25 to 0.84) and boiled potato (OR=0.47; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.85) in comparison with those who had the lowest intakes (p for trend <0.05). However, there was no significant association between fried potato intake and risk for diabetes (OR=0.50; 95% CI 0.25 to 1.07; p for trend >0.05).

Our findings indicate that, in Tehranian adults, a moderate intake of dietary total and boiled, but not fried, potatoes may be associated with a lower risk for incident diabetes.