Brown Rice vs White Rice: Which Is Healthier?

According to a new study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, replacing white rice in your diet with brown rice may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

The finding is important because the consumption of white rice in the United States has increased dramatically in the past few decades, and about 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes.  Replacing white rice with brown rice and wholemeal bread could cut the risk of diabetes by a third, US experts say.

More than 70% of the rice consumed in developed countries such as the US and UK is white.

In the study of nearly 200,000 US people, white rice consumption was linked to type 2 diabetes.  People who ate two or more servings of brown rice per week had an 11% reduced risk of developing the condition compared with those who ate less than one serving a month. 

Based on the results, the researchers estimate that replacing 50g or one-third of a typical serving of white rice with the same amount of brown rice would lead to a 16% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.  And replacing the white rice with whole grains, including brown rice and pasta, wholemeal bread and rolled oats, could cut the risk by more than a third.

Like other wholegrain foods, brown rice is high in fiber and releases its energy slowly.  In contrast, white rice has had all the bran and some of the germ removed during milling.  Brown rice is unmilled, meaning it has not had its outer husk removed. This makes it a more natural whole grain than milled white rice.

Dr. Qi Sun, the study’s lead author, is concerned that though rice intake is up in the U.S. and other western countries, the majority of rice consumed in the west is of the processed variety. She is hoping the results of her study will lead more health-conscious Americans to replace the white rice in their diets with nutrient-rich brown rice and other whole grains.