The scientists reported on the research-done on a group of 18 overweight people with high blood pressure-at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, reporting that average diastolic blood pressure reading dropped by 4.3 percent, and the average systolic blood pressure reading dropped by 3.5 percent after consuming between six and eight small microwaved purple potatotes with skins and without oil twice daily for a month.
"The potato, more than perhaps any other vegetable, has an undeserved bad reputation that has led many health conscious people to ban them from their diet," said Dr Joe Vinson, who headed up the research."Mention potato and people think fattening, high carbs, empty calories. In reality, when prepared without frying and served without butter, margarine or sour cream, one potato has only 110 calories and dozens of healthful phytochemicals and vitamins. We hope our research helps to remake the potato's popular nutritional image."
The authors said that the purple potatoes used in the study are becoming more widely available in supermarkets and especially in specialty food stores and farmers' markets. They explained that althought purple potaotes were used in he current study-because the purple skin is especially rich in photochemicals-they believe that red skin potatoes and white potatoes may have similar effects.
Vinson noted that other studies have identified compounds in potatoes that have effects in the body similar to those of the well know ACE-Inhibitor medications- a mainstay for treating high blood pressure.
Other phytochemicals in potatoes occur in amounts that rival broccoli, spinach and Brussels sprouts, and also may be involved, Vinson Added
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