Potatoes and Diabetes

[MajestyJo]

Potatoes and Diabetes
By Philip S Chua M.D.

Eating potatoes, especially French fries, is associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, reported the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in a prospective study supported by the National Institutes of Health published in its February 2006 issue.

"Potatoes, a high glycemic form of carbohydrate, are hypothesized to increase insulin resistance and risk of type 2 diabetes," according to Thomas L. Halton, M.D., and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass.

What is Glycemic Index?

Glycemic Index is a measurement of how fast or slow the body transforms the carbohydrates we eat into glucose (blood sugar). The higher the glycemic index, the faster the food elevates the blood sugar level.

What are the types of carbohydrates?

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates have high glycemic index, more easily and rapidly digested by the body; and complex carbohydrates have low glycemic index, and digested more slowly.

Simple carbohydrates are found in fruits (apples, all the berries, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, pear, oranges, peach, melon, plum), and they are low in simple sugars and do not promote weight gain. Simple carbohydrates, which are high in simple sugars and cause weight gain rapidly, include: table sugars, cakes, ice cream, non-diet pop beverages, candies, chocolate, fudge, jam, honey, pudding, sweets and desserts, in general. They are easily and rapidly digested by our body.

Complex carbos are found in almost all plant-based foods. The body digest these foods more slowly, and some of these are bran, wheatgerm, corn, barely, oatmeal, buckwheat, pasta, macaroni, brown rice, potato, brown bread, cassava, yam, muesli, lentils, peas, beans. They are the "healthier complex carbohydrates." These are essential to an exercise regimen, making each workout more effective in losing body fat and weight. However, potatoes now seem to have gained this new notoriety with this recent published prospective study.

How does exercise lead to loss of fat and weight?

When we exercise for a brief period, say 30 minutes, the body turns our carbohydrate (glycogen) reserve in the body into blood glucose to provide the needed energy. If we exercise longer, or more intensely, and used up the glycogen stores, then the body metabolizes (uses and consumes) our fat reserves ... so we lose fat, and become slimmer.

How large was this Harvard study?

The prospective study was initiated in 1976 and included 121,700 registered female nurses. Their diet was assessed every four years from 1980 to 1998) and lifestyle and disease (which developed during this study) status were assessed every two years. Those who left more than 10 food items on the survey questionnaire, or had questionable answers regarding caloric intake, or who had cancer, cardiovascular illness, were excluded from the study. The other 84,555 were followed up for 20 years.

What were the findings?

This investigation showed that 4,496 participants were diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes. After adjustment for age and dietary and non-dietary factors, potato and French fry consumption were both positively associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Even more pronounced in the association between potato and diabetic risk was found among the
obese and sedentary women in the study.

What do these findings mean?

The data from this significant study strongly suggest a potential benefit from limiting the consumption of potatoes, especially French fries, in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Other studies have likewise shown that eating a lot of the Simple Carbohydrates that are HIGH in simple sugars (review list above) lead to weight gain and obesity and an increased risk of diabetes. Carbohydrates with lower glycemic indices, such as high-fiber forms of (complex) carbohydrates like whole grains, bran, oat meal, wheat, muesli, lentils, peas, beans, broccoli, in combination with a low-fat diet of fish, green leafy vegetables and nuts, plus daily exercise reduce our risks, not only from diabetes, but from cancer and cardiovascular illness, like heart attack and stroke.

The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities, and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.

Philip S. Chua, M.D., is Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, U.S.A., and currently the Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Cebu Cardiovascular Center,Cebu Doctors' Hospital, Cebu City, Philippines. He practiced cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in Indiana from 1972 to 2001, following his Cardiac Surgery Fellowship under the world-renowned heart transplant surgeon Denton A. Cooley, M.D., at the Texas
Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. Dr. Chua is past president of the Association of Philippine Physicians in America and the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America. He writes a weekly health column for six newspapers, one monthly newspaper, two magazines and 3 websites on the internet: MALAYA Philippine national daily, Cebu Daily News, Southern Leyte Times, HEALTH News (a weekly Manila Times magazine publication, international edition), ESSENCE magazine (bimonthly, Cebu), Philippine News
(California, national edition), The Filipino Guardian (Los Angeles-Las Vegas), Pinoy Monthly (Chicago), and The Filipino Reporter (New York). The two other websites are: www.pinoyonboard.com (click HEALTH) and www.BetaSigmaFraternity.org (click Betan@Heart) . His email
addressisphilip@chua.net

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