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Potatoes reduce the risk of heart disease and premature death
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
A recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that potato consumption modestly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease in adults.
Potatoes are a staple food in many traditional diets and, as a result, are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in the world. Potatoes are rich in potassium, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and many bioactive compounds, all of which are important nutrients that have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
Despite these beneficial nutrients, potatoes are not generally considered a recommended vegetable due to their high starch content. In fact, potato consumption is associated with a risk of cardiometabolic diseases due to their high glycemic index.
The latest Nordic dietary guidelines include potatoes in the regular diet; however, no specific quantitative recommendations are provided due to a lack of evidence. Furthermore, previous studies examining the associations between potato consumption and the risk of cardiovascular mortality have yielded mixed results.
The current prospective cohort study was conducted in three Norwegian counties: North, Southwest and Central Norway.
The study included 77,297 adults aged 18 to 64 years. Study participants were invited to take part in three cardiovascular surveys conducted between 1974 and 1988.
At each survey, dietary information was collected using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires, which were used to calculate weekly potato consumption and average daily consumption. Participants were also asked about their marital status, health status, and lifestyle factors, such as smoking habits and physical activity.
Information on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality specifically was obtained from the Norwegian Cause of Death Register using a unique personal identification number assigned to all residents. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed to determine the association between potato consumption and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality.
Baseline characteristics of participants showed that men were more likely to consume more potatoes than women. Study participants with high potato consumption were more likely to have only compulsory education, be current smokers, report more physical activity, and be less likely to be obese or overweight compared to those who consumed less potatoes.
The highest prevalence of diabetes was observed among participants with low potato consumption.
In the first and third surveys, about 68% and 62% of participants, respectively, consumed six to seven potato meals each week. The average number of potatoes consumed per week at baseline was 13, with about 90% of participants consuming at least two potatoes per meal.
The relationship between potato consumption and mortality
During a mean follow-up of 33.5 years, 27,848 deaths occurred among 77,297 participants. Of these deaths, 9,072 were due to cardiovascular disease, including 4,620 deaths from ischemic heart disease and 3,207 deaths from acute myocardial infarction.
Participants who consumed 14 or more potatoes per week had a lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with those who consumed six potatoes or fewer per week. A weak inverse association was found between potato consumption and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and acute myocardial infarction.
Adjusting for average daily consumption, each 100-gram per day increase in potato consumption was associated with a 4% lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. This association remained stable for all-cause mortality risk after adjusting for sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and physical activity level.
A modest inverse association was observed between long-term habitual potato consumption and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease among Norwegian adults. However, the current study includes a Norwegian population and a dietary pattern following the 1970s and 1980s, which may limit the generalizability of the results to populations with other dietary habits and cultural factors.
Although the food frequency questionnaires used in the current study did not include questions on the consumption of processed potato products other than potato chips, and did not record potato consumption as part of meals, food consumption surveys in Norway in the 1970s and 1980s show that 80% of all meals were served with boiled potatoes. Boiled potatoes are considered a high-quality source of carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index.
Previous studies reporting negative or neutral effects of potato consumption on all-cause mortality risk often grouped processed potato products with whole potatoes. It is important to note that specific cooking methods affect the nutritional profile of potatoes.