Eating more rice will not increase the risk of diabetes
New research shows that eating more rice will not increase the risk of diabetes. Many people, especially diabetics, breathed a sigh of relief: Ah, Looks like I can eat rice now.
Truth Interpretation:
A recent scientific news article was published in the magazine "Diabetes Care":
Although for other Asian countries, eating more rice is indeed It will increase the risk of diabetes, but for Chinese people, eating more rice will not significantly increase the risk of diabetes. Even if they eat 450 grams of rice a day, which is equivalent to 5 bowls of cooked rice, they will be fine[1]!
Many people were relieved when they saw this: Ah, it seems I can eat rice with confidence.
The authority of this scientific journal and the professionalism of the nutritional epidemiology researchers in the PURE study (full name: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) are beyond doubt. But are the results of this study really suitable to guide our dietary life?
Not necessarily.
First of all, there were more than 40,000 Chinese respondents in the study. Among the 40,000 people, 81% of the respondents were from primary school and middle school education, and 82% were medium- and heavy-duty manual workers. Obviously, low-income manual workers were the main research subjects.
At the same time, most of the people who watch health news and pay attention to the latest foreign research results should have a college education or above, and a large proportion of them are mental workers who work in front of computers every day.
In other words, this study was conducted among people with low income, relatively few food ingredients besides food, less than ideal nutritional status, low average education level, and moderate to high physical activity. The results may not necessarily apply to people who live a prosperous life, have abundant foods other than staple foods, do mostly mental work, and have little physical activity.
For example, construction workers and agricultural workers, what’s so scary about eating 5 bowls of rice a day? They work hard all year round and have strong muscles, and they have to sweat and work after eating. The strong muscles can hold blood sugar, and a lot of physical activity will consume blood sugar, so the chance of blood sugar rising significantly after a meal is not high.
Secondly, in other Asian countries included in the study, especially South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, increasing white rice intake will increase the risk of diabetes by 61%. . Why are the results different between Chinese respondents and those from other Asian countries? The researcher’s explanation is:
(1) Chinese respondents have an overall healthier diet and consume more vegetables, soy products, etc., so the blood sugar-raising effect of white rice is less obvious. .
(2) The type of rice eaten in China is different from that in South Asian countries, and its starch is more sticky.
(3) Chinese people eat less rice than those in South Asian countries (the average Chinese respondent is 450 grams, while those in South Asian countries eat an average of 630 grams of refined white rice per day) grams), so the impact of rice on blood sugar is not that great.
I think that among these analyses, the first point is reasonable, the second point is completely untenable, and the third point is not accurate enough.
(1) This result highlights the importance of dietary structure and overall nutrition in a sense. A reasonable dietary structure is more important than a specific food. Skipping rice and replacing it with steamed buns, flatbreads or millet porridge may not necessarily reduce the risk of diabetes if the overall nutrition is unreasonable and there is little exercise. It doesn’t make much sense to only consider the type of staple food without considering the combination of other foods. For those who eat relatively little white rice, should they replace the white rice with biscuits and potato chips, or should they replace the white rice with whole grains, beans, vegetables, lean meats, fish, and milk, I am afraid this is the key to the problem. location.
(2) The researcher's analysis of rice types has a certain logic, because different varieties of rice and different processing methods will bring about huge differences in blood sugar response and nutritional value.
However, contrary to the speculation of the author of this article, the rice that Chinese people love to eat does not cause hypoglycemic reactions. Compared with the long-grain rice eaten in South Asia, Northeastern rice (japonica rice type) contains less amylose, more amylopectin, and a higher glycemic index [2]. Even the indica rice grown in the south does not have as long grains and as much amylose as South Asian rice. The Chinese method of cooking rice will make the rice soft and delicious. It has a much softer texture than South Asian rice and will be digested faster. Therefore, trying to find differences in rice types to prove that Chinese people are less susceptible to diabetes when eating rice may not be scientifically tenable.
(3) Why do South Asian countries eat more rice when they are also physically active people? In large part, this may be because their other food sources are less abundant.
Therefore, this study should be understood as follows:
1. The conclusion of this article is applicable to moderate and strong physical workers, and may not be suitable for mental work with light physical activities. crowd. Don’t think just because of this article that you can safely eat four or five bowls of white rice every day without worrying about the risk of diabetes.
2. Some previous studies have suggested that increased white rice intake may increase the risk of diabetes, but the key to this relationship lies in what foods are used to replace white rice and whether the nutritional balance is improved. It's not just that eating less white rice can prevent diabetes.
3. There is no need to be superstitious about conceptual products such as "anti-sugar rice" and "low-sugar rice cooker". The rice eaten in India and other South Asian countries has less amylopectin and is digested more slowly, but it does not prevent the high incidence of diabetes. Because slowing down digestion does not mean improving nutritional value.
4. Overall nutritional adequacy and balanced diet, such as eating enough protein, beans and vegetables, may be more conducive to preventing diabetes than just eating less white rice.
Diabetes is a state of poor physical vitality and poor metabolic capacity. Proper nutrition helps prevent diabetes. In addition, in addition to carbohydrate intake, more consideration should be given to physical activity level and overall nutrient supply.
References:
1 Bhavadharini B, Mohan V, Dehghan M, et al. White Rice Intake and Incident Diabetes: A Study of 132,373 Participants in 21 Countries. Diabetes Care , 2020, September 1.
2 Kaur B, Radawana V, Jeya C, et al. The glycaemic index of rice and rice products: a review, and table of GI values. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2015, 56(2): 215-236
3 Ma R C W, Lin X, Jia W. Causes of type 2 diabetes in China [J]. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2014, 2 (12): 980-91.
4 Bhavadharini B, Mohan V, Dehghan M, et al. White Rice Intake and Incident Diabetes: A Study of 132,373 Participants in 21 Countries[J]. Diabetes Care, 2020.
5 Villegas R, Liu S, Gao Y T, et al. Prospective study of dietary carbohydrates, glycemic index, glycemic load, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in middle-aged Chinese women[ J]. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007, 167(21): 2310-2316.
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