Potato-Based Diet Helps Shantou Man Lose 12.5 Kilograms in Six Months

Dragon Media Correspondent

A 43-year-old man from Shantou, Guangdong province, has attracted attention online after saying he lost weight by replacing rice and noodles with potatoes.

Mr. Chen said he had previously been diagnosed with fatty liver and had high blood pressure and blood sugar. Seeking to improve his health and lose weight, he continued eating three meals a day but replaced staple foods such as rice and noodles with potatoes. He said his monthly food costs were about 300 yuan.

After following the diet for six months, Chen said he had lost 25 Chinese jin, or about 12.5 kilograms. He also reported that his blood pressure and blood sugar had returned to near-normal levels and that his fatty liver had improved. He has since added strength training to his routine.

The possible benefits of potatoes have been linked to resistant starch, which is not fully digested in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine, where gut bacteria ferment it.

A 2024 study involving 37 people with overweight or obesity found that eight weeks of resistant-starch supplementation was associated with an average weight loss of 2.8 kilograms and improved insulin resistance. The study tested a supplement; it does not show that replacing rice or noodles with potatoes produces the same results.

A separate four-month study examined resistant starch and liver fat in people with fatty liver disease. However, Chen’s personal experience does not establish that potatoes alone caused his reported health improvements.

A balanced diet remains essential. A sudden, high intake of resistant starch may cause bloating, gas, nausea or vomiting.