FRENCH FRIES GOOD FOR BLOOD PRESSURE

Everything you know is wrong! Researchers from Purdue University claim eating more potatoes – even baked French fries – can actually help keep blood pressure under control better than taking certain supplements. The secret is in potatoes’ potassium, which helps to reduce sodium retention. Eating more potatoes also results in a greater drop in systolic blood pressure than taking potassium supplements, according to the study. In an experiment involving 30 pre-hypertensive to hypertensive men and women, researchers also discovered that French fries aren’t necessarily bad for the heart. In fact, their study shows having a 330-calorie serving of baked French fries along with a normal diet had no effect on the participants’ blood pressure. But – you should know, the research was funded by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education. The findings appear in the journal Nutrients.
* Look for it at the checkout stand at your local market, right next to Life magazine’s “89th Birthday Salute to Bob Dylan.”
* Still no word on the benefits of hot dogs?
* So McDonald’s is now a healthfood store.
* You’d think by now they’d have done enough potato research, but I guess there’s still a need for an Alliance about it.
* What kind of Potato Alliance? Like, Idaho and Ireland?