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FRENCH FRIES, POTATOES, AND DIABETES RISKS





You might want to think twice before grabbing that next handful of French fries. According to new research in The BMJ, eating fries just three times a week could bump up your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 20%. That’s a big jump—and it’s not the kind of statistic you can brush off as a one-off. What’s interesting, though, is that potatoes cooked in other ways—like boiled, baked, or mashed—didn’t pose the same risk.

This wasn’t a small study, either. Over nearly four decades, researchers followed more than 205,000 American health professionals who started out healthy (no diabetes, no heart disease, no cancer). By the end, more than 22,000 had developed type 2 diabetes. When the researchers dug into the details, they found that potatoes in general only gave a slight nudge to diabetes risk (about 5%). But French fries? That’s where the numbers shot up.

It gets better (or worse, depending on how much you love fries): swapping out potatoes for whole grains had a noticeable effect. Replacing three servings of potatoes a week with whole grains dropped diabetes risk by 8%. If you ditched French fries specifically and went for whole grains instead, your risk fell by 19%. On the flip side, trading potatoes for white rice actually made things worse.

So what’s going on? Potatoes come packed with fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium, but they’re also loaded with starch and have a high glycemic index—meaning they can spike your blood sugar, especially when they’re fried. Fries generally contain many ingredients besides potatoes to enhance taste and texture.

Now, before you swear off potatoes forever, remember: this study can’t prove fries directly cause diabetes, and most participants were health professionals of European descent. Still, the advice lines up with what we already know—whole grains are a safer bet, and how you cook your potatoes makes all the difference.

If you love the crunch of fries but want to make a healthier choice, consider oven-roasted sweet potato wedges or potatoes, air-fried carrots or parsnips, or even crispy chickpeas. All of these have that satisfying bite, but with more fiber and nutrients and far less risk. Or, go classic and swap in brown rice, quinoa, or farro for your next side dish—your blood sugar will thank you.

Homemade baked fries are a good compromise as well. Just slice the potatoes into thin strips, then glaze them with vegetable oil and salt and bake.

Bottom line: you don’t have to banish potatoes from your plate, but it pays to rethink how you prepare them. Keep the skin on, stick with baking, boiling, or mashing, and treat French fries like the occasional treat they are. And if you’re looking for more ways to eat well and feel better, a ProTime-Fitness health coach can help you create a plan that works for you. Check out ProTime-Fitness.org and take the first step toward a healthier, stronger you.


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