Brown Rice and Diabetes

Diabetes-friendly:

It's ok

Glycemic index:

Calories per 100 g:

112 kcal

You've probably heard people throw the words brown rice and diabetes in the same sentences recently. As expected, you may wonder about the relationship between these two. The question on many people's lips is, "is brown rice okay for diabetes?" There may be limited studies on the direct answer to this question, but understanding the basic components of brown rice should point us in the right direction.

Brown rice significantly differs from white rice. While white rice features a starchy endosperm, brown rice generally retains the bran layers and nutrient-rich germ usually found in grains. Despite the relatively rough physical appearance of brown rice, it remains rich in carbs and other nutrients.

Nutritional value

Protein 2.3 g
Carbohydrate 24 g
Fat 0.8 g
Fiber 1.8 g
Sugar 0.4 g
Cholesterol 0 g

How Brown Rice Helps Diabetes

As explained above, brown rice contains lots of minerals, fiber, and vitamins. The B vitamin contained in brown rice helps for metabolizing carbohydrates. It's important to also note that it contains magnesium and selenium. Selenium plays a vital role in antioxidizing enzymes and influencing thyroid function.

On the other hand, magnesium helps in building stronger bones. It is also involved in several enzyme reactions to synthesize DNA. The fiber content of brown rice would help to improve heart health while reducing cholesterol levels and stabilizing blood sugars.

Brown rice is most useful for diabetes because of the ability of its fiber-rich outer layer to slow the penetration of digestive enzymes into the starchy parts. Of course, a slower penetration makes the release of sugar into the bloodstream slower. People with diabetes would benefit from this because it solves their struggle to properly regulate and use the sugar content of their bloodstream.