Link found between white rice and Type-2 diabetes risk

White rice has been found to contribute to the risk of Type-2 diabetes, a group of health experts are claiming.

A study analysis has revealed that the more white rice people eat, the more the risk of Type-2 diabetes increases.

According to the researchers, from the Harvard School of Public Health, for every large bowl of white rice (approximately a 158g serving) the risk is heightened by 11 percent.

The team is now calling for the findings to be investigated further.

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Results from four previous studies were analysed as part of the research and in total data was collected from 350,000 patients.

All participants were diabetes-free at the start of the studies but by the end 13,000 had developed the Type-2 strain.

Two of the studies looked at the link in Asian diets – Chinese and Japanese – and the other two were looking at the link in the western world – America and Australia.

Chinese and Japanese participants tended to eat the most rice – typically three to four servings a week, compared to the one to two servings that were present in western diets.

The two Asian studies revealed that those who ate the largest amount of white rice had a 55 percent higher chance of Type-2 diabetes than those who consumed the least.

The difference in risk in western cultures between the highest and lowest consumption of white rice was 12 percent.

“What we've found is white rice is likely to increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, especially at high consumption levels such as in Asian populations," said Qi Sun from the Harvard School of Public Health.

“But at the same time people should pay close attention to the other things they eat.

“It's very important to address not just a single food but the whole pattern of consumption.”

The findings have now been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

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