Effects of a Potato-based Food Pattern vs a Rice / Pasta-based Food Pattern on Cardiometabolic Health

Glucose Metabolism, Lipid Metabolism

Potato, pasta, rice, glucose metabolism, dietary patterns, Cardiometabolic health

The researchers investigate the effect of long-term (12-weeks) consumption of diets rich in boiled potatoes versus those rich in rice or pasta on established cardiovascular risk parameters. These carbohydrate sources will be part of a recommended healthy dietary pattern to mimic as closely as possible current dietary guidelines, facilitating the implementation of the outcomes.

To breach the current controversies, there is an urgent need for well-designed controlled human intervention trials evaluating the true impact of boiled potato consumption as part of a healthy dietary pattern on cardiometabolic health. There are two important issues that need to be addressed when designing such an intervention study: First, the longer-term effects of boiled potato consumption on established fasting and postprandial cardiovascular risk markers should be addressed. Second, the effect of boiled potatoes should be studied using an iso-energetic exchange for other traditionally main carbohydrate sources. These carbohydrate-sources will be part of a recommended healthy dietary pattern to mimic as closely as possible current dietary guidelines, facilitating the implementation of the outcomes. Effects will be studied in both fasting and postprandial conditions. In fact, the evidence is accumulating that optimizing postprandial glucose and lipid responses are important targets for maintaining health. Since potatoes, white rice and white pasta are all products with a high glycemic index and concomitant relatively steep glucose excursions after intake, the question is how long-term intake of these products affects the metabolic capacity of our body to respond to postprandial challenges. Interestingly, potatoes are not only rich in complex carbohydrates but are also more nutrient-dense (a wide variety of minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients) as compared to white rice and white pasta. In addition, potatoes provide large amounts of fiber and are more satiating than other carbohydrate sources. This nutrient profile might beneficially impact the resilience of the metabolic machinery and as such improve postprandial cardiometabolic plasma profiles (glucose, insulin, and triacylglycerol). In other words, there might be a beneficial effect of longer-term potato consumption in comparison with longer-term white pasta and white rice consumption will not only be present in fasting conditions but particularly in the postprandial state when the cardiometabolic system is challenged.

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