Diabetes: The rice you eat is worse than sugary drinks, say studies

Asian countries, your staple bowl of white rice has some bowl of bad news, say studies. A study now shows that white rice could be one of the culprits in causing diabetes, even more potent than sweet soda drinks in causing the disease. This finding came about as white rice which is a staple in most Asian counties saw a higher rise in diabetes than the countries who eat lesser rice. The health authorities suggested that starchy white rice can overload the body with blood rice increases the risk of diabetes. This increase in diabetes have also been verified by studies over the years. Sharing his battle plan to reduce the risk of diabetes, Health Promotion Board chief executive Zee Yoong Kang said that obesity and sugary drinks are the major causes of the condition in the West.

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Starchy white rice can overload their bodies with blood sugar and heighten their risk of diabetes. Mr. Zee is armed with data. A meta- analysis of four major studies, involving more than 350,000 people followed for four to 20 years, by the Harvard School of Public Health - published in the British Medical Journal - threw up some sobering findings. The study showed that consuming a bowl of rice twice a day a regular basis raises the risk of diabetes by 11 per cent in the overall population.

Though Mr Zee does not plan to ask rice-eaters to stop eating the staple, he suggests for healthier varieties. Long grain white rice is also better than short grain when it comes to how it spikes blood sugar - a rise in sugar levels causes the pancreas to produce more insulin, and frequent spikes can lead to diabetes.

He would also like people to try adding 20 per cent of brown rice to their white rice. This amount is enough to reduce their risk of diabetes by 16 per cent. “There is no need to fully replace what they now eat. Just increase the quantity of whole grain and brown rice."

Another doctor, Dr Stanley Liew, a diabetes expert at Raffles Hospital, also advised people to eat less rice. He added that most junk food and sodas are just as bad and should be discouraged.