Latest news with #WalterWillett
Gulf Today
14 hours ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
Binging on French fries thrice a week may raise diabetes risk by 20%: Study
Love to eat potatoes? Consume the starchy vegetable baked or boiled, but not as French fries, according to a study which showed that eating the popular snack item thrice a week may increase the risk of diabetes by 20 per cent. The study, which tracked the diets of more than 205,000 adults over decades, however, showed that other forms of potatoes -- including baked, boiled, and mashed — do not increase the risk of diabetes. The study, published in the BMJ, also found that swapping any form of potato for whole grains may lower the risk of 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,' said corresponding author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. '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,' Willett added. The new study examined the diets and diabetes outcomes of 205,107 men and women. For more than 30 years, participants regularly responded to dietary questionnaires, detailing the frequency with which they consumed certain foods, including French fries; baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes; and whole grains. Throughout the study period, 22,299 participants reported that they developed diabetes. The researchers calculated, however, that eating whole grains – such as whole grain farro – in place of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes could reduce the risk of diabetes by 4 per cent. Replacing French fries with whole grains could bring diabetes risk down by 19 per cent. Even swapping refined grains for French fries was estimated to lower diabetes risk. On the other hand, soft drinks, ketchup, jams, tinned fruits and potato chips — all these taste delicious and are convenient, but it is important to note that they are examples of processed foods and large quantities may be harmful to your health. According to UK's NHS, processed food is any food that has been altered in some way during preparation. Food processing can be as basic as freezing, canning, baking, and drying. 'Processed food is not 'real food,' it is food that has been modified by chemical processes and contains additives, flavorings, emulsifiers and stabilizers. The food is then assembled into ready-to-eat hyper palatable food called 'Cosmetic food'. The easiest way to judge how processed the food is to look at the length of the food label at the back of the packet. The longer the list, the more processed is the food in it,' Dr Tejal Lathia, Consultant Endocrinologist, Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi- A Fortis Network Hospital, told reporters. Natural sugars are found in fruit, cereals and vegetables along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and thus, they are healthy. Refined or processed sugar, however, lacks these accompanying vital nutrients and is found in most processed foods, even those that are not considered sweet like ready-to-eat soups and ketchup. Notably, processed food includes packaged breads, breakfast cereals, confectionery (sweets), biscuits, pastries, buns, cakes, industrial chips and French fries, soft and fruit drinks or packed juices, packaged pre-prepared meals (frozen meals) and reconstituted meat products. As per the doctor, processed foods are harmful because they contain higher amounts of unhealthy fat, sugar and salt. The extra calories - termed 'empty' calories because they lack nutritional value - consumed in the form of fat and sugar, from processed food, leads to weight gain and high blood sugar. Excess sodium, that comes from salt, in this type of food raises blood pressure and causes water retention. The combination of high blood sugar and blood pressure with obesity increases the risk of heart diseases and cancer. Furthermore, most processed foods also lack fiber and protein, which are necessary for satiety or the feeling of being full after a meal. Failure to feel full results in consumption of large quantities of the processed food at one time. Lastly, these processed foods contain little to no vitamins and minerals. If a large part of a person's diet consists of processed foods, they can suffer from lack of important vitamins and minerals. 'A study from Brazil showed that preschool children who consumed excess ultra processed food (40 per cent of their daily calorie intake) had increased waist circumference by the time they entered primary school. Two large European studies have studied the link between consumption of processed foods and health. One study found that people who consumed even 10 percent more processed food, had increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. 'The second study showed that those who consumed 4 or more servings of processed food a day had a 60 percent increased chance of dying, when compared with those who consumed less than 2 servings of processed food per day,' Dr Tejal told reporters. Indo-Asian News Service
Time of India
3 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.'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Potatoes ‘increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20%' – but it all depends how you cook them
Spuds feature in two of Brits' three favourite meals FOOD FOR THOUGHT Potatoes 'increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20%' – but it all depends how you cook them Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) POTATOES are a British kitchen staple but cooking them a certain way might raise your risk of diabetes, a study has warned. Researchers at Harvard University in the US said 'not all carbs are created equal' and the way you prepare food is key. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Potatoes might be linked to type 2 diabetes (stock image) Credit: Alamy Their study of more than 200,000 people found those who ate three or more servings of French fries per week were 20 per cent more likely to have type 2 diabetes. The condition affects four million Brits and is linked to excess weight and sugary diets. Results showed that boiling potatoes, mashing them or having jacket potatoes was not linked to the same risk. But diabetes was even less likely in people who ate more grains, such as pasta and bread, than spuds. Read more on healthy eating FOOD FOR THOUGHT Fizzy pop, ice cream & instant noodles could up risk of LUNG cancer by 41% Spuds are one of UK's favourite foods YouGov polling shows chips are Brits' second favourite food, behind only roast chicken, and fish and chips ranks third. Luckily mashed potato – not linked to diabetes in the study – ranks sixth. Harvard study author Professor Walter Willett said: 'Not all carbs – or even all potatoes – are created equal. 'The distinction is crucial when it comes to shaping effective dietary guidelines. 'The public health message here is simply that small changes in our daily diet can have an important impact on risk of type 2 diabetes. 'Limiting potatoes, and especially limiting French fries, and choosing healthy, whole grain sources of carbohydrate could help lower the risk.' Diabetes symptoms and the signs of all types of diabetes The NHS says people can reduce their chances of type 2 diabetes by staying slim, eating healthily and doing regular exercise. Separate research by the University of Cambridge has found that basic healthy eating can reduce the risk of diabetes across all groups of people. The analysis included 826,000 people across 33 studies on three different diets. They included the Mediterranean, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) diets. Researchers suggest the eating habits, all of which place a focus on consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, 'can be promoted across all populations'.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Potatoes ‘increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by 20%' – but it all depends how you cook them
POTATOES are a British kitchen staple but cooking them a certain way might raise your risk of diabetes, a study has warned. Researchers at Harvard University in the US said 'not all carbs are created equal' and the way you prepare food is key. 1 Their study of more than 200,000 people found those who ate three or more servings of French fries per week were 20 per cent more likely to have type 2 diabetes. The condition affects four million Brits and is linked to excess weight and sugary diets. Results showed that boiling potatoes, mashing them or having jacket potatoes was not linked to the same risk. But diabetes was even less likely in people who ate more grains, such as pasta and bread, than spuds. Spuds are one of UK's favourite foods YouGov polling shows chips are Brits' second favourite food, behind only roast chicken, and fish and chips ranks third. Luckily mashed potato – not linked to diabetes in the study – ranks sixth. Harvard study author Professor Walter Willett said: 'Not all carbs – or even all potatoes – are created equal. 'The distinction is crucial when it comes to shaping effective dietary guidelines. 'The public health message here is simply that small changes in our daily diet can have an important impact on risk of type 2 diabetes. 'Limiting potatoes, and especially limiting French fries, and choosing healthy, whole grain sources of carbohydrate could help lower the risk.' Diabetes symptoms and the signs of all types of diabetes The NHS says people can reduce their chances of type 2 diabetes by staying slim, eating healthily and doing regular exercise. Separate research by the University of Cambridge has found that basic healthy eating can reduce the risk of diabetes across all groups of people. The analysis included 826,000 people across 33 studies on three different diets. They included the Mediterranean, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) diets. Researchers suggest the eating habits, all of which place a focus on consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, 'can be promoted across all populations'.
Washington Post
21-07-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
5 misunderstood foods and how to spot nutrition myths
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site. When it comes to eating well, making good choices has probably never been quite as confusing as it is right now. 'It's a Wild West out there in terms of health misinformation,' says Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 'Anybody can claim to be a nutrition expert, but they are not always reliable sources.'
