Diabetes: the rice you eat is worse than sugary drinks

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Asian authorities have a new health warning to issue: white rice, an essential item in regional cuisine, is more dangerous than soda. During an event to discuss the battle against the disease, Zee Yoong Kang, chairman of the Health Promotion Council, said that obesity and sugary drinks are the main causes of the disease in the West. However, Asians are more predisposed to diabetes, precisely because of excessive consumption.

This happens because white rice overloads the body with sugar and increases the risk of developing the disease. An analysis carried out by Harvard University, in the United States, revealed other alarming data, but two of them proved to be very relevant. First, for every plate of white rice eaten in a day, the risk of diabetes increases by 11% in the general population. Second, Asians, particularly Chinese, consume four servings of cooked rice a day. Americans and Australians eat only five a week.

The purpose of sharing this data, according to the president, is not to make people eat less rice. The idea is that they include healthy options on the menu, such as brown rice. Adding 20% ​​of the full version to the diet reduces the risk of developing the disease by 16%. “There is no need to replace rice entirely. The population just needs to increase the amount of rice and whole grains, ”he said.

The Asian concern should serve as a warning for Brazilians. After all, our cuisine includes a lot of rice and beans.