French fries.

By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice

Eating French fries several times a week could do more than add extra calories. New research suggests it may also raise the odds of developing type 2 diabetes.

A long-term analysis of more than 200,000 US health professionals has found that people who regularly ate French fries faced a markedly higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those who rarely touched them. The findings were published this week in The BMJ.

Researchers tracked participants in three major cohort studies — the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study — over multiple decades. 

After adjusting for weight and other health and lifestyle factors, the data showed that every three extra servings of French fries per week was linked to a 20 percent increase in diabetes risk.

The cooking method mattered. Baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes were not tied to a significant rise in diabetes risk, the researchers reported. 

The study also modeled what would happen if French fries were replaced with other foods: swapping them for whole grains was associated with a 19 percent lower risk.

The results do not prove that fries directly cause diabetes — the study was observational, and most participants were white health professionals, meaning the findings may not apply to everyone. 

But the authors note that frying potatoes adds fat, salt, and potentially harmful compounds formed during high-heat cooking, which could contribute to metabolic problems.