French Fried: The Tasty Treat is Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
A newly published Harvard study tracked over 205,000 Americans over many years and found that frequent consumption of French fries is associated with a 20% increased risk of type 2 diabetes for every three additional weekly servings. In contrast, baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes showed no significant link to diabetes risk. So clearly it’s not inherently the potatoes’ fault. The research, spanning 5.2 million person-years, identified 22,299 cases of type 2 diabetes linked to French fry consumption.
Key findings include:
- French Fries vs. Other Potatoes: While three servings or more weekly measruably increased disabetes risk, five or more weekly servings of French fries significantly raised diabetes risk, while yet again baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes did not.
- Healthier Alternatives: Replacing three weekly servings of French fries with whole grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa) lowered diabetes risk by 19%. Swapping for legumes or non-starchy vegetables also reduced risk, though substituting with white rice increased it.
- Why Fries Are Riskier: Frying adds fat and may produce harmful compounds, and frequent fry consumption was linked to weight gain, which accounted for about half the diabetes risk.
The data came from three U.S. studies with 205,107 participants, using self-reported food questionnaires every 2–4 years. While potatoes themselves aren’t the issue, frying them significantly increases type 2 diabetes risk. Opting for whole grains or vegetables instead of fries can lower this risk. While some of this is likely common sense (who pops french fries thinking they’re eating something healthy afterall?), it does show the impact of cooking methods, and also provides a bit of a baseline for when treating yourself to fries can really become too much of a tasty thing that places you at an elevated risk for diabetes.