While we've known that potatoes in bulk - especially when chipped and fried - where far from good for you, a group of scientists may have directly linked their consumption to bad health.

In a new report by The BMJ, which tabulated their results from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, shows the outcome of those they have tested those who ate potatoes in any form - boiled, mashed, roasted, baked, etc. - for four or more times per week.

In women, those who consumed less than one portion a month were 11% less likely to suffer from high blood pressure, the major contributor to the cause of strokes and heart attacks.

The report also discovered that men and women who ate four or more portions of French fries per week had a 17% higher risk of high blood pressure, yet the consumption of crisps seemed to have no impact whatsoever.

According to the authors of the report, “These findings have potentially important public health ramifications, as they do not support a potential benefit from the inclusion of potatoes as vegetables in government food programmes, but instead support a harmful effect that is consistent with adverse effects of high carbohydrate intakes seen in controlled feeding studies."

However, the authors also confirm that potatoes have a high glycaemic index compared with other vegetables, so can trigger a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, and this could be one explanation for their findings.

They also acknowledge some study limitations and say that, as with any observational study, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the cause and effect of their testing.