White rice and diabetes

I recently heard someone that I respect tell a class that eating white rice increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Sadly, this misinformation still exists today.  Current research from John McDougall, M.D., and other health professionals tell us that, “Worldwide, the populations with the lowest rates of diabetes are those that eat the most rice and other starches; type 2 diabetes is all but unknown in rural Asia, Africa, Mexico, and Peru, where a high-carbohydrate diet is the cultural norm.”

Since 1997 I have taught self hypnosis to people living with type 2 diabetes so that they can more easily make lasting lifestyle changes. When they stopped eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) of meat and dairy and increased the starches in their diet, their blood sugars quickly returned to a healthy range and they lost weight. Often, within as little as 3 weeks, their physicians were having them reduce their blood sugar medications.

Seattle Hypnosis for Weight Loss with Roger Moore can help you to live a whole food plant based lifestyle and improve your health.

White Rice and Diabetes

The McDougall Newsletter, March, 2012: White rice consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: meta-analysis and systematic review by Emily Hu, published in the March 16, 2012 issue of the British Medical Journal, found, “Higher consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian (Chinese and Japanese) populations.”1 This report involved a collection of studies (a meta-analysis) that reported risk estimates for type 2 diabetes, by rice intake levels.

Dr. John McDougall Comments: Confounding, the presence of another hidden variable, is of particular concern in this study because socioeconomic status is both a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and a predictor of rice consumption in Asian and Western populations.2 In other words, within a particular population (say in China or Japan), those who eat more white rice are also the wealthier people who eat more meat, oil, refined food, etc. Poorer people purchase less white rice and less rich food (they also work physically harder), and as a result, they are trimmer with little chance of developing type 2 diabetes—a condition directly resulting from obesity.

Worldwide, the populations with the lowest rates of diabetes are those that eat the most rice and other starches; type 2 diabetes is all but unknown in rural Asia, Africa, Mexico, and Peru, where a high-carbohydrate diet is the cultural norm.3-6 Some of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes are, however, found among people of Hispanic, Native American, Polynesian, and African descent—but not because of their genetic make up or the starch-based diets of their distant ancestors. These ethnic groups became fat and sick when they adopted a high-fat, high-protein Western diet.7

I recommend people eat whole-grain (brown) rice, but I do not consider white rice a deal-breaker. Because of social status (refined people eat refined rice) and lack of availability, many people tell me they cannot eat brown rice. I understand. When you are out and about, and all you can find is a Chinese restaurant for lunch, and you are given a choice of white rice to fill your hungry belly, or fried pork, go with the white rice.

1) Hu EA, Pan A, Malik V, Sun Q. White rice consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: meta-analysis and systematic review. BMJ. 2012 Mar 15;344:e1454. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e1454.

2) Neal B. White rice and risk of type 2 diabetes. BMJ. 2012 Mar 15;344:e2021. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e2021.

3) Hu FB. Globalization of diabetes: the role of diet, lifestyle, and genes. Diabetes Care. 2011 Jun;34(6):1249-57.

4) Janket SJ, Manson JE, Sesso H, Buring JE, Liu S. A prospective study of sugar intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2003 Apr;26(4):1008-15.

5) Kitagawa T. Increased incidence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus among Japanese schoolchildren correlates with an increased intake of animal protein and fat. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1998 Feb;37(2):111-5.

6) Llanos G. Diabetes in the Americas. Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1994 Dec;28(4):285-301.

7) Egede LE, Dagogo-Jack S. Epidemiology of type 2 diabetes: focus on ethnic minorities. Med Clin North Am. 2005 Sep;89(5):949-75, viii.

Read White Rice and Diabetes

Leading health care organizations like Kaiser Permanente have directed all their physicians to consider recommending a plant-based diet to ALL their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. With Seattle Hypnosis for Weight Loss with Roger Moore you can make these healthy lifestyle changes. Type 2 diabetes is preventable and reversible.

If you are unable to travel to one of my offices or live too far away, we can meet online from the comfort of your home or office. Hypnosis help for diabetes is here for you.

Check out Seattle Hypnosis with Roger Moore and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

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