French Fries Raise Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 20%.

In 2025, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi and team from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed data from three large US studies with over 205,000 health professionals followed for nearly 40 years. They tracked potato intake—French fries vs. boiled, baked, or mashed—and diabetes cases, adjusting for lifestyle factors like smoking and exercise. 22,299 people developed type 2 diabetes during the study.

Eating three servings of French fries a week raised diabetes risk by 20% compared to less than one serving a month. But similar amounts of boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes showed little risk increase. French fries' high glycemic load and frying oils may spike blood sugar and inflammation.

Stop eating French fries or choose baked potatoes instead to lower diabetes risk.