Dr. Hussain Attar

Pre pregnancy potato consumption and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus 

Potatoes are the third most commonly consumed food crop in the world, after rice and wheat.

About 35% of women of reproductive age (that is, aged 19-50) consume potatoes daily, accounting for 8% of daily total energy intake.

The health effects of potatoes are inconclusive, and there have been longstanding debates on the appropriate placement of potatoes in dietary guidance. Nonetheless, the dietary guidelines continue to include potatoes in the vegetable food group and encourage consumption.

Though potatoes are rich in vitamin c, potassium, dietary fiber, and some phytochemicals, unlike other vegetables they can have detrimental effects on glucose metabolism because they contain large amounts of rapidly absorbable starch. Indeed, several epidemiologic studies have linked higher potato consumption to increased concentrations of fasting plasma glucose, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of type ii diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (gdm) is a common complication of pregnancy characterized by glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Gdm is not only associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, it is also related to increased long-term cardiometabolic risk in both mothers and their offspring.

It is therefore, crucial to identify modifiable risk factors that could contribute to the prevention of GDM.

Previous studies have found that a diet with a higher glycemic index is related to higher plasma glucose and hba1c concentrations during pregnancy and could increase the risk of GDM.

Source: British medical journal.