Potatoes may actually help keep your weight under control

Solution for keeping your weight in control can be at your home itself, as scientists have found that a simple potato extract may help limit weight gain, unlike the belief that potato contributes to it.

Researchers at McGill University fed mice an obesity-inducing diet for 10 weeks. The results soon appeared on the scale: mice that started out weighing on average 25 grams put on about 16 grams. But mice that consumed the same diet but with a potato extract gained much less weight: only 7 more grams. The benefits of the extract are due to its high concentration of polyphenols, a beneficial chemical component from the fruits and vegetables we eat.

Prof. Luis Agellon, one of the study's authors said that the results were astonishing and ran the experiment again using a different batch of extract prepared from potatoes grown in another season, just to be certain.

Stan Kubow, principal author of the study said that the daily dose of extract comes from 30 potatoes, but of course they won't advise anyone to eat 30 potatoes a day, as that would be an enormous number of calories. What the investigators envisage instead is making the extract available as a dietary supplement or simply as a cooking ingredient to be added in the kitchen.

Popularly known for its carbohydrate content, the potato is also a source of polyphenols.

Although humans and mice metabolize foods in similar ways, clinical trials are absolutely necessary to validate beneficial effects in humans. And the optimal dose for men and women needs to be determined, since their metabolisms differ.

The team hopes to patent the potato extract, and is currently seeking partners, mainly from the food industry, to contribute to funding clinical trials.