Know2eat

Potato

Solanum tuberosum

What potato has been studied for

3 associations assessed — 2 with at least some human evidence behind them. Strongest first.

  • 2 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
4 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About potato

The starchy tuber of a nightshade, and the fourth largest food crop in the world. The USDA reference here is the raw tuber with skin; what the potato does nutritionally depends enormously on how it is cooked.

Also known as White potato, Russet, Spud, Maris Piper

Heart HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Healthy blood pressure

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Potatoes are a major dietary source of potassium, and higher potassium intake lowers blood pressure in trials of potassium itself. The few studies feeding potatoes and measuring blood pressure are small, and observational work on fried potato points the other way.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Boiled potato scored at the top of the original satiety index, well above bread and rice for the same energy content. That was one small study with a single test meal, and it has not been replicated at the scale its reputation would suggest.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Potatoes are blamed for weight gain in observational analyses and defended as filling in others, with the cooking method doing most of the work in both directions. There is no dependable trial evidence that the vegetable itself changes body weight.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Potato

Ask about Potato

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories77 kcal4%
Protein2.05 g4%
Total fat0.09 g0%
Carbohydrate17.5 g6%
Fibre2.1 g8%
Total sugars0.82 g—
Water79.3 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.025 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.0020 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.042 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.032 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C19.7 mg22%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.01 mg0%
Vitamin K2 µg2%
Thiamin (B1)0.081 mg7%
Riboflavin (B2)0.032 mg2%
Niacin (B3)1.06 mg7%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.295 mg6%
Vitamin B60.298 mg18%
Folate15 µg4%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline12.1 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium12 mg1%
Iron0.81 mg5%
Magnesium23 mg5%
Phosphorus57 mg5%
Potassium425 mg9%
Sodium6 mg0%
Zinc0.3 mg3%
Copper0.11 mg12%
Manganese0.153 mg7%
Selenium0.4 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene1 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin9 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.11 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170026).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedIncreases resistant starch

    Cooking then cooling a potato retrogrades part of its starch into a form that resists digestion and is fermented in the colon instead. Reheating retains much of that change, so potato salad and cold cooked potato behave differently from a hot one.

  • boiledReduces vitamin C and potassium

    Both vitamin C and potassium leach into the cooking water. That is a loss for most people and a deliberate technique for anyone advised to limit potassium in advanced kidney disease.

  • friedIncreases energy density and acrylamide

    Frying replaces water with oil, several times over on an energy basis, and forms acrylamide through the reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Solanine in green or sprouted potatoes

    Potatoes exposed to light produce chlorophyll, which is harmless, alongside the glycoalkaloids solanine and chaconine, which are not. These concentrate in the green tissue, the skin, the eyes and the sprouts, taste bitter, and cause vomiting, abdominal pain and neurological symptoms in serious cases. Cooking does not destroy them. Discard green or sprouting potatoes rather than trimming heavily, store them dark and cool, and never eat one that tastes bitter.

  • Worth knowing

    Acrylamide from high-temperature cooking

    Frying, roasting and crisping potatoes above about 120°C forms acrylamide, which is classified as a probable human carcinogen on the basis of animal data. Cooking to a golden rather than dark brown colour, and soaking chips before frying, both lower it.

  • Worth knowing

    Glycaemic response is high and preparation-dependent

    A hot mashed or baked potato produces one of the largest glucose responses of any common food. Cooling it, eating it with fat, acid or protein, and choosing waxy varieties all reduce that response substantially.

  • Worth knowing

    Nightshade sensitivity claims

    Potatoes are often excluded on the basis that nightshade vegetables aggravate arthritis or autoimmune conditions. The controlled evidence for that is very weak, amounting to little more than uncontrolled surveys. Individual intolerance is possible; a general rule is not supported.