Scientists from Imperial College London have discovered that the way potatoes are cooked plays a key role in how they affect blood pressure.
While potatoes are often linked to higher blood pressure and weight gain, new research shows that preparation methods may be the real reason behind these health risks.
In the past, studies suggested that eating more potatoes could increase blood pressure and body weight. However, many of those studies didn’t look closely at how the potatoes were prepared, what foods people ate alongside them, or the overall quality of their diet. These details are important because they can change how our bodies react to food.
To better understand the issue, researchers at Imperial College examined how different potato dishes and meal quality were connected to blood pressure and body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat.
The study included 2,696 adults aged 40 to 59 from the U.S. and the U.K. The data came from the International Study of Macro- and Micro-Nutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP), which explores how diet affects blood pressure.
The findings were surprising. The researchers found no link between eating potatoes in general and higher blood pressure or weight. This included potatoes that were boiled, mashed, or baked, as well as potato-based mixed dishes. Simply put, eating non-fried potatoes did not seem to raise blood pressure or cause weight gain.
But the story changed when it came to fried potatoes, especially for women in the United States. Women who ate more fried potatoes were found to have higher blood pressure.
On average, these women had a 2.29 mmHg higher systolic blood pressure (the top number) and a 1.14 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number), even after adjusting for their BMI. Fried potatoes were also linked to weight gain—but again, only in women. These effects were not seen in men.
Another important finding was that the overall nutritional quality of the meal made a difference. Fried potatoes eaten as part of low-nutrient meals were linked to higher blood pressure.
However, when fried potatoes were included in meals with better nutritional value, this link disappeared. This means that it’s not just the fried potatoes themselves but the type of meal they are eaten with that matters.
The study highlights that fried potatoes, especially when combined with unhealthy meals, can contribute to higher blood pressure and weight gain—particularly in women. On the other hand, non-fried potatoes such as those that are boiled, mashed, or baked appear to be harmless and may even fit well into a balanced diet.
These results are important because they show how small changes in cooking methods and food choices can affect our health. While potatoes have sometimes been blamed for raising blood pressure, this research makes it clear that the real problem lies in how they’re prepared and what they’re served with.
For those who love potatoes, the message is simple: choose healthier cooking methods like boiling, baking, or mashing, and pair them with nutritious foods.
Avoiding fried potato dishes, especially if the rest of the meal is low in nutrients, could help protect your heart and keep your weight in check. This advice is especially important for women, who appear more sensitive to the effects of fried foods on blood pressure and body weight.
The study, led by Dr. Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban, was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition. It provides new insights into how simple choices in the kitchen can have a big impact on long-term health, helping people manage blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight without giving up their favorite foods.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that could increase high blood pressure risk, and eating eggs in a healthy diet may reduce risks of diabetes, high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and results showing 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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