The Harvard conducted research suggests that an increased risk for high blood pressure comes about with the consumption of four or more servings of potatoes a week, notably 11 percent for baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes and 17 percent for fried, as compared with eating less than a single serving a month. Surprisingly, according to the researchers’ findings, potato chips didn’t appear to increase the risk.
“We hope that our study continues the conversation about potatoes and the risk of hypertension and other diseases,” said lead researcher Dr. Lea Borgi, of the renal division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
But the blame shouldn’t rest with potatoes, says one dietitian not involved with the study, suggesting that it possibly had more to do with the add-ons people load onto their potato servings—commonly, sour cream and bacon bits.
The study conducted by Borgi and her colleagues, who followed more than 187,000 men and women who took part in three large U.S. studies over a period exceeding 20 years. During that time, participants filled out questionnaires regarding their diet. The study reveals that none of the participants had high blood pressure at the beginning of the study. And in point of fact—according to the study, potatoes have a high glycemic index when compared to other vegetables, that alone will likely trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar… which would explain Borgi’s findings.
Borgi also pointed out that this study didn’t prove potatoes cause high blood pressure, only that they seem to be associated with an increase in risk. The researchers went on to suggest that when you replace one serving a day of potatoes with a non-starchy vegetable, it stands to considerably lower the risk of high blood pressure.
Anthony J. Namata
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