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White rice raises diabetes risk: study

Replacing it with brown could cut risk by one-third

In a study of almost 200,000 people in the U.S., white rice consumption was linked to type 2 diabetes, researchers from Harvard University report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. According to them, brown rice and wholegrain foods release glucose more gradually, making them a better choice that white rice, which can cause a spike in blood sugar. In the study, people who ate five or more 150 g servings of white rice per week had a 17 per cent increased risk of diabetes compared to those who consumed less than one per month. Eating brown rice seemed to actually cut the risk for type 2 diabetes, the BBC reports, with people who ate two or more servings of it per week showing an 11 per cent reduced risk compared to those who ate less than one serving a month.

BBC News

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