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Are potatoes linked to high blood pressure?
Yes, says a new study from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In a report published May 2016 in the BMJ, researchers from these institutes state that eating boiled, baked, mashed or as chips is linked to increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
The researchers combined the results of three large US studies (Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-up Study) that followed over 187,000 men and women for more than 20 years, who did not have hypertension at baseline. A questionnaire was used to evaluate consumption of potato in diet, including how often the participants ate potatoes and in which form. Baked, boiled and mashed potatoes formed one category; French fries and potato chips formed two separate categories.
When compared with less than one serving a month, consuming four or more servings of baked, boiled or mashed potatoes in a week was linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure in women, but not in men. Higher consumption of potato chips was linked to an increase risk of high blood pressure in both men and women. Potato crisps were linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure in either men or women.
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