White rice and diabetes: 21 nation study highlights risk

There may be a high risk of diabetes linked to the consumption of white rice, a new analysis of over 1,30,000 adults from 21 countries over a span of a decade has shown. Comparing the data from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh with the rest of the world, the study stated that the risk may be more prominent for the South Asian population.

Led by Bhavadharini Balaji, The PURE study considered participants who consumed over one cup or 150 g of white rice a day. Over the course of the study, 6129 participants developed diabetes out of the 132,373 people involved.

It was found that the highest consumption of white rice was seen in South Asia, where people ate 630 g a day, followed by South East Asia at 239g. The study noted that a high consumption of rice meant a lower consumption of foods like wheat, fibre and dairy products. Onset of diabetes was correlated to the amount of white rice consumed.

There was a discrepancy in China however, where rice is a staple. Incidences of diabetes associated with white rice were fewer, which could be attributed to the kind of sticky rice which is consumed there.

White rice has a high glycemic index, which may lead to a high glycemic load in the diet. As milling the rice makes it lose its Vitamin B content, the authors recommended adding more legumes and pulses to the diet.