Researchers Seem To Have Removed The Diabetes Risk From Rice

It’s a common ingredient in meals from around the world, and it’s a side dish perfectly at home with almost any main course.

But as delicious and versatile as rice is, its sugar content can increase the risk of developing diabetes. A new research paper could lay the groundwork for healthier rice.

A culinary priority

Roughly half of all the people on Earth rely on rice as a central component of their diets. And more than half a billion individuals around the globe are living with diabetes.

With the latter number expected to hit 783 million by 2045, finding a way to reduce the risk associated with rice was an important job for experts. As a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal revealed, a team of researchers at the International Rice Research Institute were able to combine two types of rice and introduce a much healthier (but otherwise virtually identical) variety. Here are some highlights of the study:

• Typical white rice has a glycemic index of somewhere between 70 and 72
• The new variety comes in at well under half that amount with an index as low as 25
• Another benefit is a significantly higher protein content than typical rice

Given the ingredient’s global importance, the researchers behind this report said their work had been an “important … resource to address food and nutritional security.”

It’s in the genes

After studying the genetic markers of nearly 400 distinct rice seed samples, the experts determined that two — known as Samba Mahsuri and IR36 amylose extender — had the characteristics desired for a high-protein, low-glycemic index result.

The rice is currently being served on a trial basis in certain parts of the Philippines and regions of India have been set aside as possible areas for growing it.

Chris Agee October 3rd, 2024

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