Rice Intake and Risk for Developing Type 2 Diabetes

Brown rice retains the outer bran and germ that are stripped off to make white rice; the glycemic index (a measure of blood glucose response) of brown rice is lower than that of white rice. Rice intake in the U.S. is almost 21 pounds per person annually, and 70% of that amount is white rice. Harvard investigators pooled data from three U.S. prospective cohort studies to assess the difference in risk for developing type 2 diabetes with brown or white rice intake.

Nearly 200,000 adults without known diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer were assessed at baseline and every 2 to 4 years thereafter (follow-up, 14–22 years). About 10,500 incident cases of diabetes were identified. In adjusted analyses, relative risk for developing diabetes w…