EATING TOO MUCH WHITE RICE MAY BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH By Wynfred Russell

Rice is a hugely significant staple food and holds a cult-like devotion for many Liberians, Nigerians as well. However, rice, and particularly white rice, has a high starch content and therefore may cause rapid elevation in blood sugar. Given the adverse effects of refined carbohydrates like white rice on glucose metabolism, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health say, eating parboiled or any variety of white rice regularly can increase your rate of developing type 2 diabetes, a chronic condition where the body has difficulty regulating blood sugar level.

West African Jollof Rice Dish

The Harvard researchers, who first published their findings in the British Medical Journal – BMJ – analyzed four previous studies on white rice consumption that involved more than 352,000 people from Western, African, and Asian countries who did not have diabetes. The researchers found after follow-up periods that ranged from four to 22 years, that almost 13,400 people developed type 2 diabetes. People who ate the most rice were more than 1.5 times likely to have diabetes than people who ate the least amount of rice. What’s more, for every 5.5 ounce-serving of white rice – a large bowl – a person ate each day, the risk rose 10%.

The average amount of rice eaten varies widely between Western, African and Asian countries, with the African and Asian populations eating an average of four portions a day while people in Western countries eat less than five portions a week.

White rice has a lower content of nutrients than brown rice, bulgur wheat, or Liberian ‘country rice’ including fiber, magnesium and vitamins, some of which are associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers say, therefore, that a high consumption of white rice may lead to increased risk because of the low intake of these nutrients.

Lead study author Dr. Qi Sun, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard University, told FrontPage Africa that eating white rice could cause a sudden spike in blood sugar. Because white rice is rapidly converted to sugar, it could mean a person will get hungry sooner than if they ate a low-sugar food like oat meal (Quaker Oats). This effect could lead to people overeating, another risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

“For people who eat refined rice as the staple food, I would like to recommend replacing white rice with whole grains, including brown rice. In addition to whole grains, people should also consider other healthful dietary items, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, fish, and decreased consumption of red meats, saturated fat, and other sources of refined carbohydrate,” Sun said.

People who eat rice daily are not the only ones at risk. Sun stressed starchy carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, etc.) and white potatoes likely have the same effect if eaten in excess.

Although the researchers found a link, they didn’t definitely prove that white rice itself directly causes type 2 diabetes, as there are many other factors that could affect the risk of developing the condition. They however acknowledged that more, bigger studies are needed to further substantiate the research hypothesis that white rice increases the acquisition of type 2 diabetes.