This could be another big blow to the fast-food and restaurant industries as researchers were able to determine the link of potatoes by increasing the risk of heart attacks.
In a collaborative study published in the BMJ Journal, researchers from Brigham Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School consolidated findings of extensive researches conducted over a span of 20 years.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Lea Borgi, said that the study leads back to medical and data records of over 187,000 Americans, where they were also asked to track their health conditions regularly every two years, which included eating habits and food products consumed every four years.
Dr. Borgi said that test participants who consumed four servings of potatoes a week, whether fried, baked, boiled or steamed had an increased risk of developing hypertension by 11 percent, compared to those who consumed one or less serving of potatoes in a month. She also pointed out that this risk is prevalent in women than in men.
Dr. Borgi, however, admitted that the study does have limitations as the questionnaires allowed participants to declare a self-reported condition of hypertension and that the questionnaires may not be indicative of the actual scientific tracking of trends over extended periods of time.
She also pointed out that potatoes are commonly eaten with salt and butter which could be the cause behind hypertension, as the questionnaires remained static and does not necessarily answer all the details of the food consumption aspect.
This may turn out to be saddening news for the United States, but more so with Canada where potatoes are considered as the most valuable vegetable crop in the country, where the potato is a staple food in most Canadian households.
Potatoes are rich in potassium, however, Toronto cardiologist Christopher Labos pointed out that the starch content in potatoes have a high sugar load that can increase risks for obesity and eventually lead to high blood pressure.
The US ranked fifth among the top potato producing countries worldwide, with an annual production of 19 million tons. China topped the list with 85.92 million tons, followed by India with 45 million tons, Russia with 30 million tons and Ukraine with 23.26 million tons.
China and India are also the two top exporters of potatoes worldwide.
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