New study finds eating spuds is also linked to improved nutrient intakes in ‘tweens’
By the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE)
Adolescence is a critical period for the evolution of cardiometabolic risk factors that are largely influenced by diet and lifestyle. Understanding these risk factors is essential to developing effective dietary guidance for disease prevention targeting this critical age period.
Recently published research in the British Journal of Nutrition found that 9-17 year-old girls who consumed up to one cup of potatoes daily had no increased risk of becoming overweight or developing high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or impaired fasting glucose by the end of the study in late adolescence.
According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, girls aged 9-18 are encouraged to consume 1 ½- to 3-cup equivalents per day of vegetables, depending on their calorie needs, but most fail to meet these guidelines.
In this study, the highest levels of potato consumption ranged from 1/5 to 1 cup per day, and at that level, no adverse effects were observed.
“Our results show that nutrient-rich potatoes can be part of a healthy diet in young girls during this important period of growth and development,” says Lynn L. Moore, DSc, MPH, Boston University, the study’s senior author.
