Calystegines in urine after eating potato products
What it found
In people, levels of natural compounds called calystegines in urine rose with the amount of potato eaten the day before.
The authors say these compounds could be used to estimate potato intake.
What they found
Studies in people
Urine levels after eating potato
In a controlled study, urine levels of calystegine A3 and B isomers the morning after eating potato were higher with larger portions. The relationship was strongest for calystegine A3.
Cooking and other foods
Different cooking methods and other foods in the diet did not significantly affect how well the calystegine levels reflected potato intake.
Validation in Portugal
In a separate group in Portugal, higher reported potato intake was linked to higher calystegine A3 in urine. No such link was found for tomato, pepper, or aubergine.
Excretion over time
After eating a jacket potato, calystegine levels in urine rose during the day and were still elevated the next morning. Levels were very low after avoiding potato for 48 hours.
Other findings
Calystegines in potato
Calystegines are found in many potato varieties, with average total levels around 296 mg per kg dry weight. They are also present in cooked potato products, especially those with skin.
What the authors conclude
“It is concluded that calystegines have many of the characteristics needed to be considered as specific BFIs for potato product intake.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that calystegines have many of the characteristics needed to be considered as specific biomarkers for potato product intake.
- They suggest that calystegine A3 in particular performs well as a marker of potato consumption.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find an objective way to measure how much potato people eat, because asking people to remember what they ate is often inaccurate.
They developed a lab method to measure calystegines in cooked potato products and urine. They then tested it in a controlled food study in the UK where people ate set meals with potato, and in a survey in Portugal where people reported their diet and gave urine samples.
What it can’t tell you
- This study measured calystegine levels in urine, not health effects of eating potato.
- The results show a link between potato intake and urine calystegines, but they do not prove that calystegines cause any health outcome.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Medical Research Council (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Aberystwyth University, UK; University of Porto, Portugal; Newcastle University, UK
The paper
- Title
- Calystegines are Potential Urine Biomarkers for Dietary Exposure to Potato Products
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Beckmann M, Lloyd AJ, Wilson T, et al (2020). Calystegines are Potential Urine Biomarkers for Dietary Exposure to Potato Products. Molecular nutrition & food research. doi:10.1002/mnfr.202000515Free full textPubMed 32918337DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error