Healthy Foods and Autumn – Potato (Solanum Tuberosum ) , Side Effects and Dangerous Interactions.

Author.

?Hranush H. Arakelyan .

?M.D. ,Ph.D,Fine Art Painter,?Artist.

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?“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”

?“Hippocrates”

?Introduction.

Autumn is in full swing?and just like our wardrobe selection changes with the seasons, so should our diet! Why? Because?our bodies need to change throughout the seasons, so,?eating a salad in winter would be the equivalent of wearing a bikini when the temperatures are cold. Unless you’re living in a tropical country, the idea of wearing swimwear in winter sounds crazy. The?potato?is a?starchy?tuber?of the?plant?Solanum tuberosum?and is a?root vegetable?native to the?Americas, with the plant itself being a?perennial?in the nightshade family?Solanaceae.

Wild potato?species, originating in modern-day?Peru, can be found throughout the Americas, from?Canada?to southern?Chile.?The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated by?Native Americans?independently in multiple locations,?but later genetic testing of the wide variety of?cultivars?and wild species traced a single origin for potatoes, in the area of present-day southern?Peru?and extreme northwestern?Bolivia. Potatoes were?domesticated?approximately 7,000–10,000 years ago there, from a species in the?Solanum brevicaule?complex.?In the?Andes?region of South America, where the species is?indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultivated.Potatoes were introduced to Europe from the Americas in the second half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Today they are a?staple food?in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world's?food supply. As of 2014, potatoes were the world's fourth-largest food crop after?maize?(corn),?wheat, and?rice.[8]?Following millennia of?selective breeding, there are now over 5,000?different types of potatoes.[6]?Over 99% of presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of?south-central Chile.[9]?The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary ingredient varies by region and is still changing. It remains an essential crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where?per capita?production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in?southern?and?eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2018.Like the?tomato, the potato is a?nightshade?in the genus?Solanum, and the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin?solanine?which is dangerous for human consumption. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce?glycoalkaloids?in amounts small enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to affect human health.

Health Benefits of Potato.

Potatoes are a?good source of fiber, which can help you lose weight by keeping you full longer. Fiber can help prevent heart disease by keeping cholesterol and blood sugar levels in check. Potatoes are also full of antioxidants that work to prevent diseases and vitamins that help your body function properly.

1.??????Packed With Nutrients.

Potatoes are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals.

One medium baked potato (6.1 ounces or 173 grams), including the skin, provides (2):

Calories:?161

Fat:?0.2 grams

Protein:?4.3 grams

Carbs:?36.6 grams

Fiber:?3.8 grams

Vitamin C:?28% of the RDI

Vitamin B6:?27% of the RDI

Potassium:?26% of the RDI

Manganese:?19% of the RDI

Magnesium:?12% of the RDI

Phosphorus:?12% of the RDI

Niacin:?12% of the RDI

Folate:?12% of the RDI

The nutritional content of potatoes can vary depending on the variety and how they are prepared. For example, frying potatoes adds more calories and fat than baking them.

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2. Contain Antioxidants.

Potatoes are rich in compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acids .

These compounds act as?antioxidants?in the body by neutralizing potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals. When free radicals accumulate, they can increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

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3. May Improve Blood Sugar Control.

Potatoes contain a special type of starch known as?resistant starch.

This starch is not broken down and fully absorbed by the body. Instead, it reaches the large intestine where it becomes a source of nutrients for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Research has linked resistant starch to many health benefits, including reducing insulin resistance, which, in turn, improves blood sugar control.

4. May Improve Digestive Health.

The resistant starch in potatoes may also improve digestive health.

When resistant starch reaches the large intestine, it becomes food for beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria digest it and turn it into?short-chain fatty acids.

Resistant starch from potatoes is mostly converted into the short-chain fatty acid butyrate — the preferred food source for gut bacteria.

?5. Naturally Gluten-Free.

The?gluten-free diet?is one of the most popular diets worldwide. It involves eliminating gluten, which is a family of proteins found in grains like spelt, wheat, barley and rye.

Most people do not experience adverse symptoms from consuming gluten.

However, people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity can experience severe discomfort when consuming foods that contain gluten. Symptoms include sharp stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and skin rashes, just to name a few.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, then you should consider adding potatoes to your diet. They are naturally gluten-free, which means they won’t trigger uncomfortable symptoms.

While potatoes are gluten-free, many common potato recipes are not. Some potato dishes that contain gluten include certain au gratin recipes and potato bread.

If you have celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, be sure to read the full list of ingredients before eating a potato dish.

Lower Blood Pressure.

Baked potato skin is a great source of?potassium?and magnesium. When you don’t have enough potassium in your diet, your body retains extra sodium, and too much sodium raises your blood pressure. A potassium rich diet can help decrease?blood pressure, protecting the heart and reducing the risk of stroke.

Noli Nocere !!!

Side Effects and Precautions of Potato.

It is likely unsafe to eat damaged potatoes, green potatoes, and sprouts. These can contain poisonous chemicals that cannot be destroyed by cooking. These poisonous chemicals can cause?sweating, headache, flushing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, thirst, restlessness, and even death.

Dangerous Interactions of Potato.

Moderate Interaction.

Be cautious with this combination

Medications for dissolving blood clots (Thrombolytic Drugs) interacts with POTATO

Potatoes contain a chemical that decreases blood clotting. Taking large amounts of potato with medications used for dissolving blood clots might increase the chance of bleeding and bruising.

Some medications used for dissolving blood clots include alteplase (Activase), anistreplase (Eminase), reteplase (Retevase), streptokinase (Streptase), and urokinase (Abbokinase).

If you have any questions?concerning?“Healthy Foods and Autumn – Potato (Solanum Tuberosum?) , Side Effects and Dangerous Interactions” Please Unform Me.

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Hranush H. Arakelyan

M.D. ,Ph.D,Fine Art Painter,?Artist.

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