White rice linked to higher diabetes risk: Study

Jun 16, 2010

That is one of the conclusions of a new study that backs long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than white rice.
People who ate at least five servings of white rice a week had a 17 per cent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed less than one serving per month, according to the United States-based study published on Monday.
'We believe replacing white rice and other refined grains with whole grains, including brown rice, would help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes,' said lead author Qi Sun, of the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Examining data from more than 197,000 adults for up to 22 years, the study found that two or more servings of brown rice a week were associated with an 11 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month.
People with type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar levels, which are linked to the body's inability to produce enough insulin to properly break down sugars and starches into glucose for energy.
'These findings could have even greater implications for Asian and other populations in which rice is a staple food,' said senior author Frank Hu.
Even though rice consumption in the US is still lower than in Asian countries, it is increasing rapidly. More than 70 per cent of the rice eaten in the US is white, the researchers noted.
Replacing just a third of a typical daily serving of white rice with brown rice each day would lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 16 per cent, the researchers found.
They also said replacing white rice with other whole grains, such as barley and whole wheat, could reduce the risk of the disease by 36 per cent.
Dr Sun said that they had taken into account numerous factors that might influence the results.
'We adjusted for these factors including body adiposity (fat), smoking, physical activity and other dietary factors, and the significant associations remained,' she said.
'From a public health point of view, whole grains, rather than refined carbohydrates such as white rice, should be recommended as the primary source of carbohydrates for the US population,' Dr Hu said.
Rice loses most of its bran and germ - its most important sources of fibre and nutrients - when it is refined to produce the white variety.
Brown rice, which retains the bran and germ, has more fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals than white rice. It also usually does not cause blood sugar levels to spike as much as the white variety does.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS, REUTERS