Overview

• A BMJ analysis of over 205,000 U.S. health professionals across 5.17 million person-years found that eating three servings of French fries weekly raises type 2 diabetes risk by 20%, even after adjusting for BMI, trans fats and genetic risk.
• Eating baked, boiled or mashed potatoes showed no significant association with diabetes incidence (pooled HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98–1.05).
• Substitution modeling indicates that replacing three weekly servings of fries with whole grains could cut diabetes risk by about 19%, while swapping potatoes for white rice may increase it.
• Researchers point to the high glycemic load, added fats, sodium and ultra-processing of French fries as drivers of their elevated risk compared with minimally processed potato forms.
• Study authors warn that the predominantly white, health-professional cohort limits generalizability and call for further research in more diverse populations.