Should women planning a pregnancy lay off the french fries and mashed potatoes? Some researchers suggest that may be a good idea, since a new study finds that women who eat more potatoes before conceiving may face a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes while pregnant. 
 
 Gestational diabetes - a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy - can affect the health of both an expecting mom and her baby. 
 
 For the study, researchers from the National Institutes of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Harvard University analyzed data from more than 15,000 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study II from 1991 to 2001. The scientists tracked consumption of potatoes and other foods every four years. They also tracked pregnancies. Over the ten-year period, out of 21,693 pregnancies, there were 854 cases of gestational diabetes. The women had not had diabetes or other chronic illnesses before becoming pregnant. 
 
 "We found that a diet with a higher level of potato consumption before pregnancy was related to a greater risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy," said study author Dr. Cuilin Zhang, senior investigator in the Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It's estimated that about four to eight percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes, said Zhang. 
 
 Previous studies have linked foods with a high glycemic index, a measure of the impact on blood sugar levels, to a higher risk of gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. 
 
 "Potatoes elevate blood sugar in people more than just about any other type of food," Dr. Aldo Palmieri of UCLA Santa Monica Hospital told CBS News. "They are carbohydrates, and all carbohydrates have that potential." He said the study reinforces the importance of moderation in what we eat. 
 
 "Our next question was, 'What are we going to recommend women to eat instead?' which is why we did the substitution," Zhang said. 
 
 The authors also found that when two servings per week of potatoes were dropped in favor of other vegetables, legumes, or whole grain foods, women had a nine to 12 percent lower risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy. 
 
 By substituting the following foods for two servings of potatoes per week, they estimated reductions in gestational diabetes risk by: 
 
 9 percent for other vegetables 
 
 10 percent for legumes 
 
 12 percent for whole grain foods 
 
 Zhang recommended swapping in green leafy vegetables for potatoes. 
 
 "They have less starch, less carbohydrate, but are high in fiber and vitamins and minerals. And the same for whole grains. They are lower on the glycemic index and have higher levels of healthful nutrients and minerals and micronutrients," she told CBS News. 
 
 Dr. Minisha Sood, director of inpatient diabetes at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the findings did not surprise her. She found the study's approach of looking at one high-glycemic food interesting. 
 
 "And then when they showed the substitutions, that's essentially advocating for the Mediterranean-type diet, which we know has benefits in terms of weight loss and insulin resistance," Sood told CBS News. 
 
 When it comes to finding alternatives for potatoes on your dinner plate, Sood said mashed cauliflower can be a satisfying substitute for mashed potatoes and it's low on the glycemic index. 
 
 "It's a vegetable. It's a great substitution. You can almost handle it and mash it the same way, with a little butter and salt, and get the same idea. It's a little closer to potato than kale would be," Sood said. 
 
 People craving potato chips can look for healthier versions, such as quinoa chips and lentil chips, which may have a little more fiber and be lower on the glycemic index compared to regular chips, said Sood. They tend to be baked, so they will also have less fat. 
 
 Women looking to become pregnant or who are already pregnant don't need to chop potatoes off of the menu altogether, but no more than one serving a week is best, Zhang said. 
 
 "A potato does contain healthful nutrients. Vitamin C and potassium and a small amount of dietary fiber. But it's all about the dose. I think moderate consumption is still fine but not too high," she said. "From our data, we show if they consume one serving per week then they're still okay, but if they consume two or more servings, there's an increased risk for gestational diabetes." 
 
 The study's limitations included lack of diversity - 90 percent of the participants were white and a generally healthy population of nurses, said Zhang. Also, diet details and diabetes diagnosis were self-reported, and the severity of diabetes was unknown. 
 
 The authors also noted that the research was not designed to prove cause and effect, and their results don't prove that potato consumption directly leads to gestational diabetes. More research on the subject is needed. 
 
 Zhang suspects a larger, more general study population would show more risk. 
 
 She said, "Women need to know, not all vegetables are 'healthy.'" ||||| Image copyright Science Photo Library 
 
 Eating potatoes or chips on most days of the week may increase a woman's risk of diabetes during pregnancy, say US researchers. 
 
 This is probably because starch in spuds can trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, they say. 
 
 Their study in the BMJ tracked more than 21,000 pregnancies. 
 
 But UK experts say proof is lacking and lots of people need to eat more starchy foods for fibre, as well as fresh fruit and veg. 
 
 The BMJ study linked high potato consumption to a higher diabetes risk. 
 
 Swapping a couple of servings a week for other vegetables should counter this, say the authors. 
 
 UK dietary advice says starchy foods (carbohydrates) such as potatoes should make up about a third of the food people eat. 
 
 There is no official limit on how much carbohydrate people should consume each week. 
 
 Starchy carbs 
 
 Foods that contain carbohydrates affect blood sugar. 
 
 Some - high Glycaemic Index (GI) foods - release the sugar quickly into the bloodstream. 
 
 Others - low GI foods - release them more steadily. 
 
 Image copyright Science Photo Library 
 
 Research suggests eating a low GI diet can help manage diabetes. 
 
 Pregnancy puts extra demands on the body, and some women develop diabetes at this time. 
 
 Gestational diabetes, as it is called, usually goes away after the birth but can pose long-term health risks for the mother and baby. 
 
 The BMJ study set out investigate what might make some women more prone to pregnancy diabetes. 
 
 The study followed nurses who became pregnant between 1991 and 2001. None of them had any chronic diseases before pregnancy. 
 
 What is gestational diabetes mellitus? 
 
 Image copyright SPL 
 
 It is a condition where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood 
 
 About three in every 100 pregnancies are affected in the UK 
 
 Symptoms include a dry mouth, tiredness and urinating frequently 
 
 Gestational diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise, but some women will need medication to keep their blood glucose levels under control 
 
 If not managed properly, it could lead to premature birth or miscarriage 
 
 Every four years, the women were asked to provide information on how often potatoes featured in their diets, and any cases of gestational diabetes were noted. 
 
 Over the 10-year period, there were 21,693 pregnancies and 854 of these were affected by gestational diabetes. 
 
 The study took into account other risk factors, such as: 
 
 age 
 
 a family history of diabetes 
 
 overall diet 
 
 physical activity 
 
 obesity 
 
 It found a 27% increased risk of diabetes during pregnancy in the nurses who typically ate two to four 100g (3.5oz) servings of boiled, mashed, baked potatoes or chips a week. 
 
 In those who ate more than five portions of potatoes or chips a week, the risk went up by 50%. 
 
 The researchers estimate that if women swap their potatoes for vegetables or whole grains at least twice a week, they would lower their diabetes risk by 9-12%. 
 
 Cuilin Zhang, lead study author, from the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, US, said the findings were important. 
 
 "Gestational diabetes can mean women develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and hypertension," she said. 
 
 "This can adversely affect the foetus, and in the long term the mother may be at high risk of type-2 diabetes." 
 
 But UK experts stressed there was not enough evidence to warn women off eating lots of potatoes. 
 
 Simple swaps that can lower GI 
 
 Image copyright SPL 
 
 Switch baked or mashed potato for sweet potato or boiled new potatoes 
 
 Instead of white and wholemeal bread, choose granary, pumpernickel or rye bread 
 
 Swap frozen microwaveable French fries for pasta or noodles 
 
 Try porridge, natural muesli or wholegrain breakfast cereals 
 
 Dr Emily Burns, of Diabetes UK, said: "This study does not prove that eating potatoes before pregnancy will increase a woman's risk developing gestational diabetes, but it does highlight a potential association between the two. 
 
 "However, as the researchers acknowledge, these results need to be investigated in a controlled trial setting before we can know more. 
 
 "What we do know is that women can significantly reduce their risk of developing gestational diabetes by managing their weight through eating a healthy, balanced diet and keeping active." 
 
 Dr Louis Levy, head of nutrition science at Public Health England, said: "As the authors acknowledge, it is not possible to show cause and effect from this study. 
 
 "The evidence tells us that we need to eat more starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, pasta and rice, as well as fruit and vegetables to increase fibre consumption and protect bowel health. 
 
 "Our advice remains the same: base meals around a variety of starchy foods, including potatoes with the skin on, and choose wholegrain varieties where possible." ||||| Women who eat more potatoes before pregnancy may have higher rates of gestational diabetes--the form that occurs during pregnancy--compared to women who consume fewer potatoes, suggests a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study. The researchers propose that substituting potatoes with other vegetables, legumes or whole grains may help lower gestational diabetes risk. The findings appear in The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal). 
 
 Gestational diabetes is a common pregnancy complication that causes high blood sugar levels in the mother. The disorder can lead to future health problems for mother and child. Previous studies have linked foods with a high glycemic index, a measure of the ability to raise blood sugar levels, to a higher risk of gestational or type 2 diabetes. However, until the current study, the effect of potatoes, a common, high-glycemic food, on the development of gestational diabetes was unknown. 
 
 Researchers from NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Harvard University evaluated more than 15,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study II. They analyzed records from 1991 to 2001 of women who had no history of illness before pregnancy and had not had gestational diabetes before. Every four years, the women filled out a questionnaire on the kinds of foods they had eaten during the previous year. For potatoes, the women were asked if they had consumed baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes, fries or potato chips, with possible responses ranging from "never" to "six or more times a day." 
 
 The researchers found that women who ate more potatoes had a higher risk of gestational diabetes. They estimated reductions in gestational diabetes risk by substituting the following foods for two servings of potatoes per week: 
 
 9 percent for other vegetables 
 
 10 percent for legumes 
 
 12 percent for whole grain foods 
 
 The authors cautioned, however, that because their study was not designed to prove cause and effect, their results do not prove conclusively that potato consumption directly leads to gestational diabetes. They added that their results need to be confirmed by other studies. 
 
 ### 
 
 WHO: 
 
 Cuilin Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., NICHD Senior Investigator and study senior author, is available to discuss the findings. 
 
 ARTICLE: 
 
 Bao W, Tobias DK, Hu FB, Chavarro JE, and Zhang C. Pre-pregnancy potato consumption and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: prospective cohort study. BMJ (2016)
– If your short-term plan involves getting pregnant, your immediate plan should potentially be to lay off the potatoes. So suggests a National Institutes of Health study published Tuesday in the BMJ that found women who eat more potatoes before becoming pregnant may be more likely to develop gestational diabetes as compared to their spud-light counterparts. That finding stems from an analysis of 15,632 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study II over a 10-year period beginning in 1991. A press release explains the women had not previously had gestational diabetes, and at four-year intervals answered questions related to their diet in the year prior. Under the potato category, they were asked to rate their consumption of baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes, fries, or potato chips on a scale of "never" to "six or more times a day." The researchers begin their study by noting just how prevalent potato consumption is, with 35% of American women ages 19-50 eating potatoes daily, and the vegetable accounting for 8% of their caloric intake. Study author Dr. Cuilin Zhang recommends to CBS News that women cap it at one potato portion per week and consider a swap. The researchers estimate that trading two servings of potatoes weekly for a substitute vegetable, legumes, or whole-grain food would reduce the risk of gestational diabetes—which CBS reports affects as many as 8% of pregnancies—by 9% to 12%. As for why women should care, Zhang tells the BBC that women with gestational diabetes can develop pre-eclampsia and hypertension, which "can adversely affect the fetus" and put the mother at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The team notes, however, that the study shows correlation, not causation, and says more research is needed. (One country has told its women not to get pregnant right now.)