POTATO NOT LINKED TO ELEVATED HEART HEALTH RISK FACTOR IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS

A new study has found that 9-17-year-old girls who consumed up to one cup of potatoes daily had no increased risk of becoming overweight or developing high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or impaired fasting glucose.

The findings of the study were published in ‘British Journal Of Nutrition’. Adolescence is a critical period for the evolution of cardiometabolic risk factors that are largely influenced by diet and lifestyle. In this study, the highest levels of potato consumption ranged from 1/5 to 1 cup per day and at that level, no adverse effects were observed.

Higher intakes of all forms of potatoes (including fried) during the ‘tween’ years of nine to 11 were associated with higher intakes of potassium and dietary fibre, two nutrients of public health concern, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Black girls in this study with the highest intakes of potatoes also consumed more fruit and non-starchy vegetables and had higher diet-quality scores.

For girls at 9-11 years of age, researchers analysed data on total potato intake (white and sweet) as well as separate intakes of fried and non-fried potatoes.For girls at 9-17 years of age, researchers analysed data for total potato intake (white and sweet)Diet was assessed using 3-day diet records at baseline when girls were 9-10 years old, and during the follow-up years 2-5, 7, 8, and 10. The intake of potatoes (both white and sweet potatoes) was extracted from total vegetable servings.

Anthropometric measures of body fat and body composition and blood pressure were measured annually.