Cohort studyindependent cross-checkabstract only checked I-GRN-05 standard review
Fried potatoes and mortality
Fried potato consumption is associated with elevated mortality: an 8-y longitudinal cohort study.
Overview
Veronese N et al.. Am J Clin Nutr 2017 · PMID 28592612 · DOI 10.3945/ajcn.117.154872
Fried potatoes 3+ times/week linked to about double the death risk in a small cohort.
Does the study support the specific claim? No · Methodological quality: low
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Potatoes and death
- How was the study done?
Cohort
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
4440
- What was actually found?
Fried linked
- How large was the observed effect?
HR 2.26
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Possible risk
- What are the study's limitations?
Small
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Weak
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Moderate
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Cause
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Veronese N et al.
- Journal
- Am J Clin Nutr
- Year
- 2017
- Identifier
- PMID 28592612 DOI 10.3945/ajcn.117.154872
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
None stated; NIDDK grant.
2. Research question
Potato intake and mortality
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Cohort study – Prospective cohort (Osteoarthritis Initiative)
- Population
4440 adults 45-79 y
- Country
North America
- Period
8 y
- Sample size
4440; 236 deaths
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Potatoes, fried and unfried
- Comparator
<=1 time/month
- Endpoints
All-cause mortality
- Statistical methods
Cox, 14 confounders
5. Actual results
- Results
Highest total potato: HR 1.11 (0.65-1.91). Fried potatoes 2-3 times/week HR 1.95 (1.11-3.41); >=3 times/week HR 2.26 (1.15-4.47). Unfried potatoes not associated.
- Absolute risks
236 deaths in 8 y
- Authors' conclusion
Frequent fried potatoes appear associated with increased mortality; larger studies needed.
6. Strengths
- Prospective
7. Weaknesses
- Small number of deaths
- Subgroup finding
- Not a nutrition cohort
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- ROBINS-E
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- high
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Wide CIs.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
Weak support against unrestricted fried potatoes.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Moderate.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Hypothesis-level.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | low |
| Risk of bias | high |
| Precision of results | low |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | not replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | unknown |
| Regional transferability | moderate |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Potatoes in all forms are allowed, including fried potatoes and packaged potato chips (crisps). – Studies contradicting or limiting the claim