Do potatoes reduce the risk of death?

Czy ziemniaki zmniejszają ryzyko śmierci?

Potatoes used to be a staple of the diet.

In the past, potatoes have long been a staple of the diet in many regions. Interestingly, although potatoes have historically been an integral part of a mostly low-meat diet in many European countries, they have not been included in the five-a-day recommendation, which includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, explains Erik Arnesen from the Institute for Basic Medical Research at the University of Oslo.

Potatoes act like large amounts of other vegetables

The scientist and his team published a long-term study in the Journal of Nutrition, using 77,000 Norwegians as test subjects and spanning 40 years. People who ate at least two potatoes a day in the 1970s and 1980s had a 12 percent lower all-cause mortality rate over the next four decades. This lower mortality rate is similar to that seen in people who eat a lot of vegetables, Arnesen said.

In the past, potatoes have long been a staple of the diet in many regions. In Norway, for example, in the 1980s, 90 percent of all fish dishes and 80 percent of all meat dishes were accompanied by potatoes. Contrary to recent trends, these were mainly boiled potatoes, not French fries or mashed potatoes, which are characterized by a high fat content.

Reduced risk of mortality

The researchers evaluated data from national nutrition surveys conducted between 1974 and 1988 and linked it to mortality data 40 years later. They found a trend that for every hundred grams of potatoes eaten per day, the risk of mortality fell by four percent. This was also true for heart disease.

According to scientists, potatoes are healthy primarily because they are a source of vitamin C and potassium and are rich in fiber. Studies that have shown an increased risk of type 2 diabetes with frequent potato consumption also included fries and mashed potatoes, emphasize Norwegian experts