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Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Eating 3 servings of French fries every week could raise diabetes risk by 20 per cent, study finds
New Delhi: Consuming three servings of French fries a week is associated with a 20 per cent increased chance of developing diabetes; however, similar quantities of potatoes that are boiled, baked or mashed do not significantly raise this risk, a study published in the British Medical Journal said. Researchers, including those from Harvard and Cambridge universities, analysed the questionnaire responses of over two lakh people who were free of diabetes, heart disease or cancer at the study's start. Over a follow-up period of 40 years, about 22,300 participants were found to have developed diabetes. "For every increment of three servings weekly of French fries, the rate increased by 20 per cent. Intake of combined baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not significantly associated with (type 2 diabetes) risk," the authors wrote. "The (type 2 diabetes) risk linked to potato intake seemed to depend on the food being replaced: replacing potato with whole grains was associated with lower risk, whereas replacing it with white rice was associated with increased risk," they added. While potatoes provide nutrients such as fibre, vitamin C, and magnesium, they are also high in starch and have a high glycemic index, which is linked to an increased risk of diabetes. However, the authors emphasised that previous assessments of potatoes' overall impact on health did not take into account the preparation methods or specific foods they were compared against. Specifically, consuming three servings of potatoes each week was linked to a 5 per cent increase in diabetes risk, while three servings of French fries resulted in a 20 per cent increase. Furthermore, switching from three servings of potatoes to whole grains was associated with an 8 per cent reduction in diabetes risk, while replacing three servings of French fries with whole grains reduced risk by 19 per cent, the author said. The data for the analysis were obtained from the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2020), the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2021), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2018), all of which are US-based. PTI>
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Study reveals eating French fries can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes by a shocking percentage
Image credits: Getty Images If French fries have been your go-to order at restaurants and a favoured side dish with meals, then it might be time to cut them out of your life. According to a new study published in The BMJ on August 6, 2025, the potato-based dish can elevate the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 20%. But, if you swap these out for whole-grain foods, these odds could decrease by 19%, according to the same study. The study focused on data involving more than 205,000 people enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The participants filled out detailed dietary questionnaires for a long period for three decades, which included questions about how many times a week they ate French fries, whether they baked, boiled or mashed potatoes and how many times they ate whole grains in a week. Their health was also tracked to gain results, and over the period, a shocking 22,299 participants developed Type 2 diabetes. 'The public health message here is simple and powerful: Small changes in our daily diet can have an important impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes. Limiting potatoes — especially limiting French fries — and choosing healthy, whole grain sources of carbohydrate could help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes across the population,' said Dr Walter Willett, study co-author and professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kate Middleton's Daring Outfit Took Prince William's Breath Away Crowdy Fan Undo Who is to blame: French fries or potatoes? Image credits: Getty Images However, is it the fries or the vegetable itself? 'We're shifting the conversation from, 'Are potatoes good or bad?' to a more nuanced — and useful — question: How are they prepared, and what might we eat instead?' said Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, a postdoctoral research fellow in Harvard's Department of Nutrition and lead author of the study. It does matter how the potatoes are cooked. While just three servings a week of French fries elevated the diabetes risk by 20%, eating the vegetable as baked, boiled or mashed had absolutely no influence on the risk of the disease. Whole grains for the rescue Image credits: Getty Images Replacing the French fries order with whole grains, such as whole grain pastas or bread, reduced the risk of the disease by up to 19%. Even substituting whole grains with refined ones can add to the lowered diabetes risk. These findings were substantiated by 2 separate analyses where data from numerous previous studies involving more than 500,000 people led to similar results when it came to the battle of French fries versus whole grains. 'For policymakers, our findings highlight the need to move beyond broad food categories and pay closer attention to how foods are prepared and what they're replacing," Willett said in a Harvard news release. "Not all carbs — or even all potatoes — are created equal, and that distinction is crucial when it comes to shaping effective dietary guidelines.'
Hans India
3 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Eating 3 servings of French fries every week could raise diabetes risk by 20 per cent, study finds
New Delhi: Consuming three servings of French fries a week is associated with a 20 per cent increased chance of developing diabetes; however, similar quantities of potatoes that are boiled, baked or mashed do not significantly raise this risk, a study published in the British Medical Journal said. Researchers, including those from Harvard and Cambridge universities, analysed the questionnaire responses of over two lakh people who were free of diabetes, heart disease or cancer at the study's start. Over a follow-up period of 40 years, about 22,300 participants were found to have developed diabetes. "For every increment of three servings weekly of French fries, the rate increased by 20 per cent. Intake of combined baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes was not significantly associated with (type 2 diabetes) risk," the authors wrote. "The (type 2 diabetes) risk linked to potato intake seemed to depend on the food being replaced: replacing potato with whole grains was associated with lower risk, whereas replacing it with white rice was associated with increased risk," they added. While potatoes provide nutrients such as fibre, vitamin C, and magnesium, they are also high in starch and have a high glycemic index, which is linked to an increased risk of diabetes. However, the authors emphasised that previous assessments of potatoes' overall impact on health did not take into account the preparation methods or specific foods they were compared against. Specifically, consuming three servings of potatoes each week was linked to a 5 per cent increase in diabetes risk, while three servings of French fries resulted in a 20 per cent increase. Furthermore, switching from three servings of potatoes to whole grains was associated with an 8 per cent reduction in diabetes risk, while replacing three servings of French fries with whole grains reduced risk by 19 per cent, the author said. The data for the analysis were obtained from the Nurses' Health Study (1984-2020), the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2021), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986-2018), all of which are US-based.
CNN
01-07-2025
- Health
- CNN
These women dedicated almost 50 years to science. Their efforts may soon be trashed
Donald Trump Food & healthFacebookTweetLink Follow For decades, researchers have been collecting samples from hundreds of thousands of women and tracking their health. The work has deepened our basic understanding of human health, but now the entire project is in danger. When nurses Patricia Chubb, 70, and her mother, Charlotte Mae Rohrbaugh, 98, joined the fledgling Harvard University-led Nurses' Health Study in 1976, they had no idea it would last for nearly 50 years. 'It's probably the longest, if not one of the longest, prospective health care studies for women that's ever been done,' said Chubb, who lives in Pennsylvania. 'They picked nurses to do the study because they know how to answer health questions correctly and can draw their own blood and the like — it's very cost-effective.' Study data gathered through the years from some 280,000 nurses in the United States has contributed enormously to improving how we live. The work has informed dietary recommendations, including national dietary guidelines; led to hormonal therapies for breast cancer prevention and treatment; and contributed to research about how nutrients, inflammatory markers and heavy metals influence disease development. Yet all of that priceless data may soon be discarded due to President Donald Trump's ongoing feud with Harvard over what Trump claims is a failure to protect Jewish students during campus protests. On Monday, an investigation by the Trump administration claimed that Harvard was in 'violent violation' of the Civil Rights Act by being 'deliberately indifferent' or a 'willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff.' Harvard strongly disagreed with the administration's claims. Interestingly, Trump had posted on Truth Social on June 20 that Harvard had 'acted extremely appropriately' during negotiations and that he was close to a 'Deal' with the university that would 'be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country.' But then, in the letter sent to Harvard on Monday, Trump officials made it clear Harvard would continue to lose 'all federal financial resources,' including millions for research, if the university did not comply with the administration's wishes. Funding for the Nurses' Health Study and its companion study for men, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, had already been abruptly withdrawn in mid-May, said Harvard nutritionist Dr. Walter Willett, who has led the studies since 1980. Willett and his team were left scrambling to find the funds needed to protect freezers stocked with stool, urine and DNA specimens gathered from thousand of nurses for nearly five decades. Just the liquid nitrogen needed to keep the specimens frozen costs thousands of dollars a month. 'Of course, we would all love to have an agreement that lets us get on with research, education, and working to improve the health and well-being of everyone.' said Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, who has published over 2,000 papers on nutrition. 'But this can't happen if we turn over admissions, faculty hiring and curriculum to governmental control.' Twenty-one-year-old Jackie Desmond joined the Harvard-based study when she graduated from nursing school in 1978. She considered the research so valuable that she later enrolled her 9-year-old son Kyle in a spin-off study investigating family nutrition. At 41, he still participates. 'They send us questionnaires once or twice a year about lifestyle and nutrition, what medications you're on, your lifestyle habits, when you sleep, when you eat, everything,' Desmond said. 'I've sent them samples of blood, urine, feces, whatever they need.' The study even has solicited toenails, which carry markers of heavy metals. One reason the study was so special is it was only focused on women, said Desmond, who is now 68 and lives in Connecticut. 'Before that, most studies were done only on men. So, it was about time to focus on studying women and they came up with some amazing information that's been very helpful to many of us,' Desmond said. 'You know for that reason alone, these samples are irreplaceable — losing them might put women's health research back many years,' she added. For Desmond and Chubb, the cuts in research funding make no sense. 'There's no connection in my mind between antisemitism and medical research. Why are you getting rid of decades of research? It's infuriating,' Desmond said. 'And it's very personal — I guess they'll just toss my DNA into the dump.' The threats to cuts also arrive as the Trump administration pushes its 'Make American Healthy Again' initiative, which Chubb finds ironic. 'You know what? There's lots of research going on to get us healthier and keep us healthier, and those are cuts that should not be made,' Chubb said. 'It's so shortsighted to shoot first and aim later.' Data from the Nurses' Health Study has vastly improved how all Americans live and eat while also impacting the health of people around the world, Willett said. 'From the efforts of these dedicated nurses we learned trans fats were terrible for health, and now those are basically gone from our food supply,' he said. 'We also found one of the earliest links between cigarette smoking and heart disease.' Data from the nurses' studies found red meat and alcohol can lead to breast cancer in women. Other key findings also proved lifestyle choices can improve health — the research identified diets that may reduce risk of cognitive decline. A list of scientific advances produced from the Nurses' Health Study data appears on its website. Dorothy Dodds, who died at 83, joined the original study in 1976. When her daughter Martha became a nurse in 1982, she joined the second wave of research, called the Nurses' Health Study II. A third generation of the study is still enrolling participants — the Nurses' Health Study 3. For Martha Dodds, now 68, her family's years of dedication to the study is priceless. 'You know, nurses don't get paid a lot,' Dodds said. 'We do our work because we want to help others. We took the study seriously and were careful and honest with our answers. 'My one little part may have helped women cut down on alcohol consumption, or maybe it'll help both men and women exercise more and cut back on trans fats,' Dodds added. All of the nurses CNN spoke with consider their years of dedication to the Nurses' Health Study a lifetime accomplishment. 'I'm so proud to be a participant, I'll put it in my obituary,' Chubb said. 'And my 98-year-old mom — who's still got all her faculties, and some of other people's, too — has chosen the Nurses' Health Study for donations in lieu of flowers in her funeral plans.' Chubb and her mother are in good company. Families of nurses across the country have proudly listed their Nurses' Health Study participation in their obituaries: Karen Ann Mudgett from Michigan, Donna Palmer from Georgia, Jeanette Thomas from Pennsylvania, Mary Ellen Natale from New Jersey, Patricia Anne Cobb from California, Marion Jones from Florida, Irene Rees from Virginia and many more. 'And now these hundreds of thousands of hours of work by nearly 300,000 nurses will just be discarded?' Dodds said. 'We're going to take 50 years of research and all this biodata and just destroy it, make it useless? 'It's like burning the Library of Congress — you just can't get that back.' Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
How the diet shapes healthy ageing
Across the world, the population of older adults has increased over time. And over 80% of them suffer from at least one chronic health disorder. The U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) point out that promoting global health is a priority. They both point out that a better-quality diet is beneficial for the prevention of heart attacks, diabetes and premature death. The Mediterranean Diet, much lauded by health researchers as an ideal one, uses plant-based foods — vegetables, fruits, legumes and natural oils, moderate amounts of poultry and eggs — and avoids red meat. People there who practice this diet do live longer and healthier lives. Indeed, a typical food in India, with wheat or rice, dal, sabji with lots of greens, and curd/buttermilk, (and for non-vegetarians: eggs and fish but little or no meat), is essentially Mediterranean. Towards this, two recent articles highlight the best food that we should take for healthy ageing. One in the April 3 issue of the journal Nature, titled 'The Best and Worst Foods for Healthy Ageing', points out that people who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are more likely to reach the age of 70 without major physical or cognitive impairments. This article offers the advice that the recommendation to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables is well-founded: a large-scale 30-year study on dietary habits shows that diets high in these foods are associated with healthier ageing. The massive study itself is published in Nature Medicine, titled 'Optimal dietary patterns for healthy ageing'. The message here is 'get more fibre in your diet, eat more vegetables, pulses such as beans, lentils, and eat less fats and animal meat', suggesting that this practice will help senior citizens live a healthier life. In this study, health experts from the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Denmark analysed data from two major studies: the Nurses' Health Study (tracking hospital workers and medical professionals) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (examining men's diet and lifestyle linked to serious illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases). By looking at the records of 70,000 women and 30,000 men, they uncovered key insights into how our eating habits affect our health. A healthful plant-based diet was seen to be highly associated with healthy ageing. Researchers examined how long-term adherence to plant-rich dietary patterns, moderately supplemented with healthy animal-based foods, enhances healthy ageing. They examined the association between eight healthy dietary patterns. One, called Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), focuses on a scoring system that evaluates diet quality based on its alignment with recommendations for a healthy diet (greens, low fat, low sugar, and avoid foods causing cancer and high blood pressure). The second, called the Alternate Mediterranean Index (aMED), is adapted for populations outside of the Mediterranean region, and offers long term benefits for the elderly. The third, called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), is primarily focused on controlling high blood pressure. Others, such as the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) and healthful plant-based Diet (hPDI), also emphasise a plant-rich and nutrient-dense diet that avoids highly processed foods. In summary, the groups suggest that a diet with plant-rich foods, plus a moderate amount of animal-based foods, is best for living longer and healthier.
