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Adults with diabetes reap heart-health benefits from baked potatoes, new research reveals

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2024

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Adults with diabetes reap heart-health benefits from baked potatoes, new research reveals

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Baked potatoes could be just the food to boost heart health among adults with diabetes, a new study suggests.

Research recently presented by Neda Akhavan, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), revealed a modest decrease in fasting blood glucose levels, as well as improvements in body composition, waist circumference and resting heart rate among study participants who incorporated a daily serving of potato into their diets.

“We wanted to look at a [particular] food that was highly stigmatized, such as a potato,” Akhavan told Fox News Digital in a video interview from her office at UNLV.

WHITE POTATOES VS. SWEET POTATOES: NUTRITION AND HEALTH EXPERTS CHIME IN ON WHICH IS BETTER

The clinical trial, funded by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, took place when Akhavan was working at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

“A lot of people [with Type 2 diabetes] tend to think they shouldn’t eat carbs or especially starchy carbohydrates like potato,” Akhavan said.

UNLV assistant professor Neda Akhavan, PhD, holds baked potatoes in her hands. She recently presented her findings on the health benefits of baked potatoes for adults living with Type 2 diabetes. (Becca Schwartz/UNLV)

American Diabetes Association guidelines, however, advise against cutting carbs completely. Instead, carbs should be consumed in moderation.

All 24 participants of the study group were given a pre-made baked potato with the skin measured to 100 grams, with only 20 grams of carbohydrates, and a comparable portion of white rice with the same number of calories and carbohydrates, Akhavan said.

BEST AND WORST FOODS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES TO MAINTAIN GOOD HEALTH

The trial lasted for 12 weeks — that’s the minimum time needed to observe changes in indices of glycemic control and cardiometabolic health, said Akhavan.

Participants were allowed to add herbs or spices or up to half a tablespoon of butter, Akhavan said, but they were told not to fry their potatoes.

Participants of a recent clinical trial were allowed to add butter, herbs and spices to their baked potatoes. (iStock)

The study is believed to be the first of its kind to measure scientifically the cardiovascular benefits of potatoes for adults with diabetes, Akhavan said.

“We even looked at vascular health,” she added. “We didn’t see any significance.”

INTERMITTENT FASTING LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF HEART-RELATED DEATH IN NEW STUDY

The “biggest takeaway” from the research, which has yet to be published, is “changing our idea about potatoes,” Akhavan said.

“There were no harmful effects,” she said. “And that is, I think, a very significant outcome.”

New research reveals that baked potatoes can help the hearts of diabetics. (iStock)

Akhavan’s research was specific to the baked potato only.

“Boiling a potato is quite different than baking it, even though you’re applying heat,” Akhavan said.

“But there is some potential loss of even that resistant starch, which is that beneficial fiber, that could happen with boiling potatoes. Once again, I think the biggest thing is not frying it or adding [lots] of fats.”

Eating the skin, she said, is “a really important part of it as well.”

Eating the skin of a baked potato is “a really important part” of boosting a diabetic’s heart health, according to new research. (iStock)

The American Diabetes Association declined to comment on the study, but it noted the seven recognized meal patterns that are recommended for people with diabetes.

“We encourage people living with diabetes to consult with their health care team about what meal pattern might work well for them based on their particular health needs and goals,” the association told Fox News Digital in an email.

Akhavan said she is hoping to be able to conduct large-scale clinical trials in the future.

For now, though, she is encouraged by the results.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

“We shouldn’t shy away from a potato, even those who are diabetic.”

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San Francisco, CA

Watch Bob Weir Perform ‘Touch of Grey’ with Dead and Co. at His Final Live Appearance

Published

8 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

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Watch Bob Weir Perform ‘Touch of Grey’ with Dead and Co. at His Final Live Appearance

The music world was busy mourning David Bowie on the 10-year anniversary of his death on Saturday when the devastating word hit that we lost another icon of almost indescribable significance to rock history: Bob Weir.

“He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could,” the Weir family wrote in a public statement. “Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

The road was Weir’s home from the moment the Grateful Dead formed in 1965 all the way through last summer. His projects outside the Grateful Dead included RatDog, Furthur, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros, and Dead & Company. At almost any given time, he had shows on the books with at least one of them.

“The interesting thing is, I’ve never made plans,” he told Rolling Stone‘s Angie Martoccio last March. “And I’m not about to, because I’m too damn busy doing other stuff, trying to get the sound right, trying to get the right chords, trying to get the right words, trying to get all that stuff together for the storytelling. And really, making plans seems like a waste of time. Because nothing ever works out like you expected it to, no matter who you are. So why bother?”

Dead & Co. wrapped up a farewell tour in July 2023, but they continued to play residencies at Sphere in Las Vegas throughout 2024 and 2025. And they came together one last time in August 2025 for three shows in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to celebrate the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary. Throughout the three evenings, they were joined by Billy Strings, Trey Anastasio, Grahame Lesh, and Sturgill Simpson.

These were joyous concerts filled with Deadheads from around the globe, but Weir was holding a secret: He was diagnosed with cancer weeks earlier, and had just started treatment. “Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts,” the Weir family wrote. “Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design.”

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The final night wrapped up with “Touch of Grey,” perhaps the most famous tune in the Dead songbook. Weir sang lead, and the band stretched it out for nearly eight minutes. At the end, Weir took a group bow with the full band, waved to the crowd, and then took a special bow with Mickey Hart, the only other original member of the Dead in Dead & Co., before they walked off together. It was his final live appearance.

“There is no final curtain here, not really,” wrote the Weir family. “Only the sense of someone setting off again. He often spoke of a three-hundred-year legacy, determined to ensure the songbook would endure long after him. May that dream live on through future generations of Dead Heads. And so we send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin’.”

It’s way too early to seriously contemplate the future of Dead & Co., but it’s somewhat hard to imagine them continuing outside of a tribute concert to Weir. He was the heart and soul of the group.

That said, Weir himself once said he hoped to see the band outlive him. “I had a little flash while we were playing one night,” Weir told Rolling Stone‘s David Fricke in 2016. “It was toward the end of the tour. I don’t remember what city it was in. We were getting into the second set, setting up a tune. We were all playing, but the tune hadn’t begun yet. We were all feeling out the groove, just playing with it. Suddenly I was 20 feet behind my own head, looking at this and kind of happy with the way the song was shaping up. I started looking around, and it was 20 years later. John’s hair had turned gray. Oteil’s had turned white. I looked back at the drummers, and it was a couple of new guys. I looked back at myself, the back of my head, and it was a new guy. It changed my entire perception of what it is we’re up to.”

The members of Dead & Co. will ultimately make the call. And no matter what happens, Grateful Dead music will continue to live on concert stages for decades and decades to come. They are responsible for a significant chapter of the Great American Songbook.

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Denver, CO

Broncos designate LB Drew Sanders for return from injured reserve

Published

32 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

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Broncos designate LB Drew Sanders for return from injured reserve

Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders was back on the practice field Saturday for the first time in 5 1/2 months. Denver designated Sanders to return from injured reserve. He had last practiced July 26 in training camp, when he suffered a torn ligament in his foot and then had surgery. The Broncos did not put Sanders […]

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Seattle, WA

Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and the Seattle Sounders return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Published

38 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

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Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and the Seattle Sounders return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Forgotten. Absent. Inconsistently healthy. Weights of expectation.

These heroes offered glimpses and scenes of their greatness in 2025.

Paul Arriola, X Man

Paul Arriola gave us a glimpse of his former greatness before his injury. Once a DP, once the highest value transfer within MLS, once recruited to skip MLS entirely for what was at the time a much better league, Arriola’s all comps contributions per 90 would compare to wingback style players Jordi Alba and the now-gone Ali Ahmed.

Arriola slides right in that space, with his 0.57. Now, a discerning reader such as yourself will imagine small sample sizes and opponent quality. You would be correct. But Paul also put up similar numbers in MLS in 2018, 2021 and 2022. His time in MLS as a whole is .40/90 (in the realm of last season’s Christian Espinoza).

Defining Arriola’s role is always going to be hard. He’s played as many wide roles as exist in the modern game. With Seattle, he could be a left or right winger in a four-front if they choose to run a 3-2-4-1, or a wingback in a 3-4-2-1 or a conventional winger in a 4-2-3-1. No matter his role, he’s been strong. His calls to the US National Team ran every year from age 20-27, when he put up better numbers there than he did in league play. He’s now 30.

Pedro de la Vega, the injury saga

Sounders fans know how bright Pedro can burn. So do, Lanus fans, Argentina fans, Cruz Azul fans, Santos Laguna fans, Tijuana fans, Puebla, Galaxy, Inter Messi and a smattering of other MLS teams. The Leagues Cup player of the year and wonder goal nominee is absolutely thrilling, when available.

Lanus, Argentina and Seattle also know his history of injuries. Injuries are why he’s in Seattle.

PdlV only played 41% of available minutes in all competitions. A healthy winger of his quality should be around 66% or so. His absolutely stellar all comps performance of 0.72 is on par with Hany Mukhtar, at 20th in MLS play. Pedro is ahead of Diego Rossi, Djordje Mihailovic, and Dejan Joveljić.

When you think about how the Seattle Sounders will make up ground for the inevitable decline of Danny Musovski the names Arriola and de la Vega should be bandied about.

They weren’t merely better than the people who replaced them on the Sounders – they’re better than the majority of high-profile players in the league.

In 2025 Craig Waibel raised the floor and the peak. Injuries gave us only a few glimpses of that peak.

2026 is when the multi-competition heroic Sounders can once again show their prowess and why their presence as a top tier club is eternal.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here’s what you missed on the site this week.

Sounders

Next match: Sunday, February 22, 2026 v. the Colorado Rapids | 6 p.m. PT | Apple TV/FS1

Reign

Schedule to come next week.

Defiance

Schedule to come.

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