Scientists from Lanzhou University have found that eating white rice is associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes—the most common form of diabetes—occurs when blood glucose (blood sugar) levels become too high.
In this condition, the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use insulin effectively, causing glucose to accumulate in the bloodstream instead of entering cells where it is needed for energy.
White rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. Many people consider it an “empty” or “less healthy” carbohydrate because it loses important nutrients when the bran and germ are removed during processing.
Compared with brown rice, white rice has a higher glycemic load, meaning its carbohydrates convert into blood sugar more quickly. This rapid spike in blood sugar is believed to contribute to negative health effects, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
In this study, researchers examined how white rice intake relates to risks of cardiometabolic diseases and cancer by analyzing 23 studies involving more than 1.5 million people.
They found that people who consumed the highest amounts of white rice had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate the least. The association was particularly strong in women.
The analysis also showed that each additional 150 grams of white rice consumed per day was associated with a 6% increase in diabetes risk.
However, the researchers did not find strong evidence linking white rice intake to heart disease, cancer, or metabolic syndrome. The certainty of evidence for these outcomes was low to very low, meaning that more high-quality studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions.
Overall, the findings suggest that higher intake of white rice is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. More research is needed to better understand this relationship and to strengthen the evidence regarding other health outcomes.
The study was conducted by Honghao Lai and colleagues and published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that eating more eggs linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and green tea could help reduce death risk in type 2 diabetes
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