Study: A potato-rich diet before pregnancy could up diabetes risk

“Eating potatoes before pregnancy increases risk of diabetes,” The Daily Telegraph reports. Researchers found a small, but significant, increase in gestational diabetes risk in mothers who reported eating a potato-rich diet before their pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is caused by raised blood glucose levels during pregnancy. It doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, but can cause complications if left untreated. The condition does not usually pose a problem for women in England, as diabetes can be routinely screened for. If it is diagnosed, it can normally be controlled by diet and exercise. This latest study involved researchers in the US looking at records for 21,693 pregnancies. More