A new study out of Harvard has linked eating French fries to an increased risk of developing diabetes. However, it’s not all bad news – certain potato preparations can help lower your risk.
Researchers followed over 205,000 people for 30 years and found that consuming three servings of French fries per week increased the risk by 20%. On the other hand, baked and mashed potatoes did not have a significant impact on diabetes chances.
But replacing potatoes with whole grain foods can actually lower type 2 diabetes risk by 4%, while swapping fries with whole grains cuts the risk by 19%. Refining your diet to include healthier options like white bread also makes a positive difference.
The public health message is simple: making small changes in your daily diet can have an impact on type 2 diabetes risk. Limiting French fries and choosing healthy, whole-grain sources of carbohydrate can help lower the risk across the population.
This study is not the first to look at the relationship between potatoes and diabetes – a previous Australian study found that eating more potatoes increased the risk by 9%, while boiled potatoes were actually neutral in terms of risk.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/08/24/health/food-almost-everyone-loves-raises-your-diabetes-risk-by-20