Eating a common vegetable is THE KEY to losing weight, research study claims

A new study has claimed that potatoes could be the key to helping people lose weight.

Previously, the vegetable has been linked to an increase in the risk of type two diabetes, those who have insulin resistance have been warned against consuming them.

Results from a new study suggest this may not be true.

Scientists say they are full of nutrients and if portioned correctly can be part of a healthy diet.

US researchers recruited 36 people between the ages of 18 and 60who were overweight, obese or have Insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is when cells in the muscles, fat and liver struggle to respond to insulin and cannot easily take up glucose from the blood.

The participants were given diets consisting of either beans, peas, and meat or fish - or white potatoes with meat or fish.

Both of the diets substituted an estimated 40 per cent of the average meat consumption with beans, peas or potatoes.

The vegetable was brought into meals such as shepherd’s pie, or came as a side of mash, wedges or salad.

They found the outcomes of the diets including potatoes were just as healthy as others.

Professor Candida Rebello, the co-investigator, from Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana said: "We demonstrated that contrary to common belief, potatoes do not negatively impact blood glucose levels."

They found that certain amounts of food will cause people to feel full, regardless of the calorie count.

By filling a plate with potatoes as opposed to foods with a higher calorie count, scientists suggested this would eventually help people lose weight.

Prof Rebello added: “People tend to eat the same weight of food regardless of calorie content in order to feel full.

"By eating foods with a heavier weight that are low in calories, you can easily reduce the number of calories you consume.

"The key aspect of our study is that we did not reduce the portion size of meals but lowered their caloric content by including potatoes.

"Each participant's meal was tailored to their personalised calorific needs, yet by replacing some meat content with potato, participants found themselves fuller, quicker, and often did not even finish their meal. In effect, you can lose weight with little effort."