The beauty of brown rice

Recent findings suggest it may reduce diabetes risk

Brown rice may be something you have never tried or wouldn’t typically buy; it may also receive a few crinkled noses from the kids. But that tiny brown grain of rice might do more for you and your family’s health than you imagine. Wholegrain brown rice has been a standout in the crowd lately, with two recent scientific studies finding a special compound in brown rice may help guard against high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Retaining the bran and germ, brown rice contains more nutrients and fibre than white, however both brown and white varieties of rice both contain essential vitamins and minerals, including B-group vitamins such as thiamine and niacin, zinc and phosphorus. Brown rice is a wholegrain food, as are mixed-grain breads, wholegrain breakfast cereals, rolled oats, wholemeal pasta, corn and popcorn.

One cup of brown rice contains around 2.4g of dietary fibre, which equates to around 10% of an adults daily fibre needs and around 80g of wholegrains, which is close to double the suggested daily wholegrain intake. In the absence of an official government recommendation for wholegrains intake, Go Grains Health & Nutrition has reviewed the research and suggests all Australian adults aim for 48g of wholegrains per day.

An excellent source of energy, rice is full of energy-giving carbohydrates - used by the body for brain performance, physical activity and everyday bodily functions including growth and repair. Rice is low in fat, cholesterol free (as are all plant foods) and virtually salt free with less than 5mg of sodium per 100g is therefore great for those who need to watch their salt intake.

A new study has just been published that analysed diet, lifestyle and disease data collected from 39,765 men and 157,463 women from 3 large cohort studies; the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses Health Study I and II. The researchers found people who ate high amounts of white rice also enjoyed plenty of fruits and vegetables, but not many wholegrains, cereal fibre and (bad) trans fats. Those people who enjoyed brown rice were more likely to be health conscious; more physically active, leaner and less likely to smoke or have a family history of diabetes and had higher intake of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains and lower intakes of red meat and trans fats. After adjustments were made, more than two servings of brown rice a week was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Due to low intakes of brown rice amongst the study participants it remains unclear whether higher intakes of brown rice are associated with further disease reductions. Nonetheless the researchers found simply switching white rice for brown rice was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing diabetes. The researchers also looked at wholegrain consumption overall and found stronger associations when analysing wholegrains as a group, rather than brown rice on its own.

Brown rice can be cooked the same way as white rice in the pot, in the microwave or a rice cooker usually for just a little bit longer. You can now even buy microwave pouches – great for the lunch box, workplace or a quick meal for one or two. Next time you are having rice for dinner, why not give brown rice a go. You may find you actually like the tastier, slightly more nutty version, especially now you know how much better it is for you. If you need help acquiring the taste, mix half white with half brown rice, cooking separately of course.

Sources
Qi et al, White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women, Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(11):961-969

Awesome oats

Beyond cholesterol lowering

Don't wait for a cold winter's day to reap the health benefits of oats. New evidence suggests there may be more to oats than cholesterol lowering, with recent research revealing special compounds in oats may help protect against heart attached by reducing inflammation and blockages in blood vessels, and initial investigations have found oats may decrease the risk of asthma in young children.

Killing one Australian every 10 mins and affecting two out of three Australian families, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Australia with huge financial impacts on our health care system. Fortunately, many of the risk factors for CVD are preventable including smoking, high blood pressure, lack of physical activity, diabetes, overweight, obesity and high cholesterol.

For the past decade or more, there have been a growing number of scientific studies supporting the role that oats can play lowering cholesterol and helping to protect against cardiovascular disease. A new study has found oats can help not only reduce LDL (bad cholesterol), but also decrease waist circumference in overweight and obese adults as part of a 3 month weight loss program. Just 2 serves (40g each) of a wholegrain oat cereal each day as part of a weight loss program reduced LDL cholesterol by almost 10%, significantly more than lower fibre control foods as part of a weight loss program (5%). The even better news is; these favourable outcomes were noticed as early as 4 weeks into the study. Both groups lost around 2kg over the duration of the weight loss program, but the group eating oats lost significantly more weight from around their waist.

Oats are naturally rich in beta-glucan (a type of soluble fibre), considered to be responsible for the cholesterol lowering benefits of oats. More recently, another powerful component of oats has been linked to good health. Avenanthramides, a type of antioxidant has been found to help reduce the ability of blood cells to stick to artery walls. This effect could help reduce hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) which can in time lead to heart attack. One study also suggested these avenanthramides could help explain how oats can reduce the risk of colon cancer.

In addition to heart health, some evidence from initial investigations has shown oats can help reduce the risk of asthma in young children. The study conducted in Finland found early introduction (in the first 6 months) of oats into the diets of babies with an increased risk for type 1 diabetes was associated with a significantly lower risk of persistent asthma by the age of 5 years. These findings need to be confirmed in other populations.

Oats are an economical and versatile wholegrain that can provide the whole family with essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre for good health. Many food manufacturers have realised the health benefits of oats, and you can now enjoy the pleasure of eating oats all year round with new product developments such as oat breakfast biscuits, bread with added oats and many flaked and shaped breakfast cereals made from oats. Aim to eat 4 or more serves of grain-based foods (like oats, breads, breakfast cereals, pasta and rice) everyday - at least half should be wholegrain.

Sources:
1. Maki KC et al. Whole-grain ready-to-eat oat cereal, as part of a dietary program for weight loss, reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity more than a dietary program including low-fibre control foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110;205-214
2. Andon MB et al. Stae of the Art Reviews: The oatmeal-cholesterol connection: 10 years later. AJLM 2008; 2:51-57
3. Virtanen et al. Early introduction of oats associated with decreased risk of persistent asthma and early introduction of fish with decreased risk of allergic rhinitis. B J Nutr. 2010; 103:266-273