New finding on potatoes

I HOPE our readers had a wonderful rest time and are ready for the new year. Some of us overdid it a bit on the chips, dip and sweets and now have to get back on the treadmill. Talking about chips, a new study in the USA found that eating potatoes or chips on most days of the week may increase a woman's risk of diabetes during pregnancy.

The reason for this is linked to the fact that starch can trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. The study tracked 21 000 pregnancies, quite a large number. In spite of this, UK experts believe that there is not enough proof and that people need to eat more starchy foods for fibre, as well as fresh fruit and veg.

The USA study linked high potato consumption to a higher diabetes risk, while their UK counterparts countered that a couple of servings a week of other vegetables should counter this. UK dietary advice says starchy foods (carbohydrates) such as potatoes should make up about a third of the food people eat. There is no official limit on how much carbohydrate people should consume each week.

Pregnancy puts extra demands on the body, and some women develop diabetes at this time. Gestational diabetes, as it is called, usually goes away after the birth but can pose long-term health risks for the mother and baby. The USA study set out to investigate what might make some women more prone to pregnancy diabetes and found potatoes.

I tend to go with the UK idea – most of us do not eat potatoes, especially when pregnant. As long as there is enough fibre and green, leafy vegetables in the diet, I do not see a problem. The problem could arise when a pregnant woman pays her local fast food plaza a daily visit...