Potatoes, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiometabolic Health

Summary

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major chronic health condition which increases risk of coronary artery disease, frailty, cognitive decline, and mortality. Additionally, hypertension is a major comorbidity for individuals with T2D, further increasing the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The prevalence of both conditions increases with advancing age. There is an urgent need to identify new approaches to prevent the development of T2D and improve cardiometabolic health in older adults 50-70 years of age.

Whole white potatoes are an unprocessed food rich in essential nutrients often under-consumed by Americans, including potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamins C and B6, and phytochemicals. Each of these nutrients individually are associated with cardiometabolic health benefits. Potatoes account for a significant amount of the intake of these nutrients in the US diet and are well-positioned to be a foundational element of a healthy dietary pattern. However, there are few interventional studies evaluating the effect of potatoes on cardiometabolic health, and the evidence from observational studies is mixed, leaving a significant gap in knowledge regarding the potential for potatoes to be included in healthy dietary patterns.

The results of our proposed study will provide foundational data that inform future dietary guidelines regarding the inclusion of white potatoes as part of a healthy US dietary pattern.

Conditions

• T2D
• Blood Pressure
• Cardiometabolic Health

Interventions

OTHER

Controlled diet: Potato-rich healthy dietary pattern

Following a 2-week eucaloric lead-in diet, participants will be provided and consume a potato-rich healthy dietary pattern for 12 weeks. The intervention diet will be eucaloric and matched for macronutrient composition with the control diet. Whole white potatoes will be incorporated into the intervention diet in different forms. This diet will have an healthy eating index (HEI) score of 85.

OTHER

Controlled diet: Typical Western-style dietary pattern

Following a 2-week eucaloric lead-in diet, participants will be provided and consume a typical Western-style dietary pattern for 12 weeks. The control diet will be potato-free, eucaloric, and matched for macronutrient composition with the intervention diet. This diet will have an healthy eating index (HEI) score of 58.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dennis Cladis, PhD · Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

50 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-30

Primary Completion

2028-10-31

Completion

2029-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations