Sunday 20 June 2010

Cut Your Risk for Diabetes

Cut Your Risk for Diabetes - Switch to Brown Rice

Harvard scientists were interested in looking at the connection between rice and diabetes because different forms of the grain have a very different “glycemic index.” That index is a measure of how quickly the body can break starches down into simple sugars, which can raise the body’s blood-sugar level, possibly contributing to diabetes. The body generally turns milled grains, such as white rice or white flour, into sugars more quickly than whole grains, such as brown rice or whole-wheat flour.

Sifting data on the health and eating habits of close to 200,000 doctors and nurses, the researchers found that people who ate five or more servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent higher risk of developing diabetes than people who rarely eat white rice. Eating at least two weekly servings of brown rice cut diabetes risk by 11 percent, compared to people who rarely eat the whole grain. Combining the two findings, the scientists estimate in the Archives of Internal Medicine that people who commonly eat white rice could cut their diabetes risk by 36 percent if they switched entirely to brown rice.

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