Eating more brown rice may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, study finds

Brown rice has long been perceived as more healthful when compared to the white variety. Now a study backs up those claims, finding that those who eat more brown rice could be at lower risk for type 2 diabetes.

The study, released Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine, examined data from three prospective cohort studies involving 39,765 men and 157,463 women. Study participants were asked about lifestyle habits and chronic diseases throughout the years of the studies. Overall, eating more white rice -- five or more servings per week -- was associated with a 17% increased risk of developing diabetes, compared with those who ate less than one serving per month. Eating two or more servings of brown rice per week was linked with an 11% decreased risk of developing the disease, compared with eating less than one serving a month.

The brown rice advantage was seen after researchers adjusted for age, plus lifestyle and dietary risk factors. Because some cultures have diets heavy on rice, the study authors also looked at data on white study participants only, and found similar associations.

White rice, when it goes through a refining process, loses most of its bran and germ, the greatest sources of fiber and nutrients. Brown rice, considered a whole grain, leaves the bran and germ intact.

Men and women who ate more white rice were also less likely to have European ancestry, and more apt to have a family history of diabetes. This group was also associated with a diet high in fruits and vegetables, but low in whole grains and cereal fiber.

Brown rice eaters were more likely to be physically active, leaner, and less likely to smoke or have a family history of diabetes. They also ate a lot of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, but less red meat and trans fats.

Researchers speculate that based on the study findings, eating 50 grams (about 1.8 ounces, or a third of a serving) of brown rice a day instead of white rice could be associated with a 16% decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Similarly, replacing white rice with whole grains in general could up that risk reduction to 36%.

The study was supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Lead author Dr. Qi Sun of the Harvard School of Public Health is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from Unilever Corporate Research.

-- Jeannine Stein

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Photo: Eating more white rice may be associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Photo credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[LK]

Hmmm, the worlds largest producer of ice cream, Unilever, behind a study linking diabetes to...rice. Imagine that.

[terrance]

Most people don't like brown rice because it doesn't taste as good. Teriyaki chicken on brown rice? No thanks. Brown rice sushi.. eh...It's not that brown rice is necessarily healthier, it's that healthier people eat brown rice. The health benefits of brown rice over white is tiny.

[Fox]

File this under: painfully obvious statements from scientists. Or: we proved something well known already. Or: research money was spent on this? Seriously? Or: (analogy) Scientists recently announced that studies show that annoying people are likely to be shunned by others.

I hope everyone knows that white rice doesn't exist in nature. Only brown rice grows. White rice is created by a mechanical process.

Also, LK, ice cream (real icecream, not the corn syrup crap), is actually fairly low on the glycemic index, so it wouldn't harm blood sugar levels, which are closely connected to diabetes. White rice is actually much, much higher on the glycemic index than real icecream.

[Patricia]

I can tell that white rice is pro-inflammatory. I'm really sensitive to stuff like that. My whole system is much calmer when I avoid white rice and stick to brown.

[lk]

What IS linked to diabetes is being overweight. So, look around you at the fat people (most Americans) and ask yourself, "what are they eating too much of?" The answer is NOT white rice. The answer is sugars and fats. E.G. ice cream. Only a fraction of people in this ice-cream-company-sponsered survey actually ate the amount of white rice deamed unhealthy. Nearly every fat person, on the other hand, eats too much sugar and fat. Take your fad diet handbooks and throw them in the garbage. Then avoid the endless aisles of sweets at the grocery store (have you seen the Sarah Lee "joy of eating" display with the chubby woman pictured litterally stuffing her face?) Then quit telling our children that ice cream, chocolate, etc are healthy foods. If you don't like that advice, then keep doing what we've been doing. Just cut back on the white rice a little -- and watch the obesity epidemic continue to spread.