white rice

The scientific name of rice is Oryza sativa. It is one of the important staple human foods. There are more than 110,000 cultivated varieties of rice, most widely known and grown. Nutrient concentration may vary depending on production, environment, pre- and post-harvesting treatment, and processing. Cooked rice with high amylose content effectively controls metabolic disorders, serum blood glucose levels, and lipid profile and is also effective in weight loss.

This study aimed to determine the comparative effect of amylose concentration in brown and white rice on hepatocellular insufficiency in healthy rat models.

We divided 25 rats into 5 groups (G0, G1, G2, G3, and G4). There were 5 rats in each group. Group 0 was the control group on a normal diet. Group 1 was fed white rice flour, G2 was fed cooked white rice, G3 was fed brown rice flour, and G4 was fed cooked brown rice. Free access to food and water was secured. Weight changes, blood glucose, and lipid profiles were analyzed pre and post-treatment.

Rats on white rice feed showed weight gain, increased blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and low HDL levels. However, rats on brown rice feed showed less weight gain (P < 0.05), a lower increase in blood glucose (P < 0.05), high HDL, lower LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The pancreas and liver histopathology showed no major changes due to the short trial duration.

Rats fed white rice showed ineffective results disturbing biological parameters as compared to those rats which were fed brown rice. Due to low amylose content and the presence of antioxidants, flavonoids, and high fiber content, brown rice shows beneficial effects in controlling and maintaining relevant biological parameters.

Since rice is a staple food most consumed world-wide, there have been increasing health concerns regarding exposure to arsenic through rice consumption. Several studies have reported the accumulation of arsenic in rice grains cultivated in regions with elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater or contaminated soil. Therefore the principal aim of this study was determining the amount of arsenic in Iranian rice cultivated in the same farms in two consecutive years and arsenic tracking through agricultural water and soil. Therefore different provinces (Mazandaran, Gilan, Fars, Ghazvin, Lorestan and Khozestan) with high harvested area and various weather conditions were selected. Since the arsenic levels in water and soil that were used for rice cultivation are effective on adsorbed arsenic by the rice, therefore to specify the origin of the contamination, sampling from soil, water and unpolished rice of each selected farms were carried. Total arsenic content was determined from the digests by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results indicated that accumulation and the increase in arsenic content of agricultural soil causes an increase in the arsenic content of white rice. The results have also shown that arsenic contents in all the investigated white rice samples are less than the maximum limit specified by the national standard (0.15 mg/kg), and no significant difference was observed in the arsenic content in two consecutive years of rice cultivation. Therefore the control of arsenic content in water used for irrigation, limited the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that might affect the concentration of arsenic in the soil and maintain the aerobic conditions during either the vegetative or the reproductive stages of the rice growth that might reduce the concentration of arsenic in the soil and consequently in the rice.

Brown rice (BR) is unpolished rice with various beneficial compounds such as vitamins, magnesium and other minerals, dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, γ‑oryzanol and γ‑aminobutyric acid. In the present study, we compared the effects of white rice (WR) and BR on inflammatory marker high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hs‑CRP) and cardiovascular risk factors among non‑menopausal overweight or obese female. In a randomized cross‑over clinical trial, 40 overweight or obese (body mass index (BMI) >25) women were randomly allocated to group 1 (n = 20): Treatment with BR diet and group 2 (n = 20): Treatment with WR diet for 6 weeks (first intervention period). Two participants in group 2 dropped out during this period. After a 2‑week washout period, individuals were switched to the alternate diet for an additional 6 weeks (second intervention period) and three subjects in group 2 did not follow this period and eliminated, finally this study was completed with 35 subjects (group 1 = 20 and group 2 = 15). Each one was instructed to consume 150 g cooked WR or BR daily in each intervention period. Cardiovascular risk factors including BMI, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, serum lipid profiles, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hs‑CRP as an inflammatory marker, were measured 4 times (in study week 0, 6, 8, 14). BR diet in comparison with WR diet could significantly reduce weight, waist and hip circumference, BMI, Diastole blood pressure and hs‑CRP. No significant differences between the two diets were found regarding lipid profiles and FBG. The present results suggest that BR replacement in the diet may be useful to decrease inflammatory marker level and several cardiovascular risk factors among non‑menopausal overweight or obese female.

Obesity has become one of the most important and the fastest growing health and nutritional problem, not only in developed but also in developing countries. White rice consumption causes an increase in postprandial blood glucose and could be a probable reason for obesity. This study was conducted to investigate the association between intake of white rice and central obesity in an Iranian population. In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 212 subjects were selected based on convenience non-random sampling procedure. Expert interviewers collected socio-demographic and dietary intake data by a face to face method. We failed to find any significant association between frequency of white rice consumption and body mass index or waist circumference, neither in crude model nor in adjusted models. Although there was no significant association between white rice intake and obesity factors in our study, more studies are necessary with larger population and better design.