Those Who Eat Brown Rice may have less Type 2 Diabetes

Since the common gluten free diet can be high in rice and rice flours, this Reuters Health article caught my attention. The report claims that those who eat brown rice may be less likely to get Type 2 diabetes. Conversely, it also claims that those who eat a diet high in white rice may be at higher risk for diabetes.

Boston researchers followed more than 197,000 US adults for up to 22 years. Dr. Qi Sun, of Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Reuters Health that people should monitor their intake of processed carbohydrates in general, including white rice.

Out of the group studied, 10,507 developed type 2 diabetes. Those who ate “the most white rice (at least 5 servings per week) had a significant 17 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than those who ate the least white rice (less than 1 serving a month).”

In contrast, eating 2 or more servings of brown rice each week produced an 11 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“Most of the rice eaten by Americans is refined white rice, which is stripped of its fiber, vitamins and minerals in the refining process and is more likely to fuel an increase in blood sugar after eating than its healthier whole grain cousin, brown rice,” according to Reuters.

The study took into account other lifestyle and health risks for diabetes and still found a link between the amount of white rice versus brown rice was consumed, yet it’s possible that those who ate more brown rice engaged in healthier diets and lifestyles in general.

Read the complete Reuters Health article here.

Read the Study Abstract here in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 170 No. 11, June 14, 2010 http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/170/11/961

Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 170 No. 11, June 14, 2010