Replace white rice with brown rice to prevent diabetes

In a first of its kind study, U.S. researchers have found that people who consume brown risk lower their risk of diabetes than those eating its refined counterparts.

Rice is the staple diet of two-thirds of the world’s population.

Though compared to the other countries the per capita rice consumption in the United States is not much, it has risen during the past several decades, reaching a level of 21.0 lb per capita annually, according to research titled 'Rice Consumption in the United States: Recent Evidence from Food Consumption Surveys.'

197,000 adults studied
Examining the consumption of white and brown rice in association to type 2 diabetes risk, the Boston-based researchers studied 39765 men and 157463 women in the nation.

The researchers analyzed the diet, lifestyle practices, and disease status to establish link between rice consumption and diabetes risk.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes affecting millions in the nation. In this type, the either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin, which is necessary to take sugar from the blood into the cells.

Establishing link between rice and diabetes
Studying the participants for a period of 22 years, the researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that substituting two or more servings of brown rice with equal amount of white rice on a weekly basis lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 16 percent.

Further, if people replaced white rice with other another whole grain, they reduced the risk of diabetes by nearly 36 percent.

The reason behind this is that brown rice has fiber which slows down the process of conversion of carbohydrate into glucose, thus keeping blood sugar in control.

White rice does not have fiber, minerals and vitamins. Instead it mostly has protein and starch. For those already diabetic, white rice is less safe as it breaks down into glucose more quickly, triggering adverse insulin reactions.

Apart from lowering the risk of diabetes, brown rice provides other health benefits too. Nowadays, the nutritionists and dietitians are increasingly suggesting this whole grain as it is believed to be rich source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.

Qi Sun, the lead author of the study and instructor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying, "The message for the public is that they should try to avoid refined carbohydrates, no matter if it's [in the form of] rice or bread, and replace them with whole grains."

The findings of the study have been published in the 'Archives of Internal Medicine.'

Other benefits of brown rice
Apart from lowering the risk of diabetes, brown rice provides other health benefits too. Nowadays, the nutritionists and dietitians are increasingly suggesting this whole grain as it is believed to be rich source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.

Other than providing the vital nutrients, brown rice also helps in reducing the risk of several health problems.

The rice bran oil, present only in brown rice, is excellent source of gamma-oryzanol, a compound that helps lower cholesterol.

A naturally occurring polyphosphorylated carbohydrate called inositol hexaphosphate is found in brown rice and it has proved beneficial in the treatment and prevention of cancer.