Potatoes have a high glycaemic index (GI), which means they cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. These increases can possibly damage the pancreatic cells that produce the hormone insulin, which is needed to break down sugar. The study found that women who had the highest potato intake were 14% more likely than those with the lowest intake to develop diabetes over 20 years, while women who ate the most chips, specifically, had a 21% greater risk of diabetes than those who ate the fewest. This link was strongest among obese woman, who are already at increased risk of the disease.

On the Double Older mothers are more likely to give birth to twins, according to Dutch scientists, despite the fact that their fertility is declining. Women over the age of 35 were found to be twice as likely to have twins, in comparison with those under the age of 25. But IVF treatment is not being cited as the reason.

The study, which is published in the Journal of Human Reproduction, found that hormone levels in older women can go into overdrive, resulting in the production of two eggs instead of one, thus making nonidentical twins more likely. The Netherlands has experienced a large increase in twin births over the last decade and the study suggests that 60% of this rise has been caused by older women having babies.