As food insecurity becomes widespread in the country, rice has become the main meal in most homes in Nigeria and this is becoming worrisome to experts who fear that more people could be at risk of type 2 diabetes.
This is because a new research published recently in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has shown that high consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of the life-threatening condition.
The study showed that people who ate rice more than once a day are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate it once or twice in a week.
The research aimed at discovering if the link between eating white rice and developing diabetes was stronger among people in Asia, who tend to eat more white rice than Westerners.
Results of the studies carried out in China and Japan revealed that those who ate most rice had 55% chances of developing the disease than those who ate it the least. In the US and Australia, where consumption of rice turned out to be far lower, the difference was just 12%, while, the link was discovered to be stronger in women than men.
Now, it is feared that the situation in Nigeria may not be too different from that of China and Japan as the country is said to be gradually joining nations with high rice consumption rate following widespread food insecurity in the country which has made it the nation’s most staple food. The condition, experts fear could even be worse as some Nigerians eat rice more than thrice a day unlike the Asians.
A Nigerian Nutritionist/Dietician Mrs. Doris Anaemene however described Nigerians’ over-reliance on rice as unnecessary because the country is very rich with foods thus every home should be able to eat a balanced diet if well planned. She blamed mothers for the frightening trend.
“Notwithstanding the food insecurity gradually staring the nation in her face, Nigerians can still eat balanced diets but mothers’ laziness at planning the meals of their families is worsening the poor dietary and feeding habits in the nation.”
“Consumption of rice which is pure carbohydrate can make one add excess weight which could at the long run be disastrous to the body and health. For someone living with diabetes, he will find it difficult to control his blood sugar level,” she said.
White rice is the dominant form of rice eaten in the world. Machines produce its polished look by hulling and milling, thus, leaving a grain that is predominantly starch. The starch, studies so far indicate, is responsible for the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes when consumed regularly.
According to the researchers, the inherent starchy nature of white rice is as a result of its high glycemic index, which means the body rapidly converts the carbohydrates in rice into glucose. The glycemic index of white rice is about 64, on a 100-point scale. More data from the Harvard group indicated the sugary content of white rice when compared with orange juice and ice-cream to be higher as the latter has a glycemic index of 61, while orange juice rates a 50.
Hence, the researchers explained in the study that the more white rice eaten, the higher the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The authors estimated that the diabetes risk of rice eaters rises by 11 percent with each increased daily serving of white rice.
“That’s because eating rice is as close as you can come to eating a candy bar without the actual candy. It’s a starch that causes your blood sugar levels to spike with every bowl”, the researchers stated in the Harvard publication.
Even nutritionists have agreed that people who eat foods with high glycemic indexes have increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, noting that white rice has fewer nutrients. To keep diabetes at bay and yet not live a boring dietary life style, they prescribe brown rice in place of the former on the grounds of it being healthier.
Studies so far indicate brown rice has more fibre, magnesium and vitamins, and a lower glycemic index, than white rice. It has yet been discovered that people who eat brown rice are less likely to develop diabetes than those who eat white, but that’s only part of the picture. People who do not eat rice and few starches are even less likely to develop the condition.
Worldwide, diabetes has been discovered to be one of the five major killers of humans at all age levels. Even four year old kids are today being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes requiring them to take two injections a day, and this, studies indicate are not unconnected with foods- like white rice, with high glycemic indexes.
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