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Medically reviewed by Karina Tolentino, RD
- Brown rice can help manage weight because it is less associated with weight gain than white rice.
- Brown rice has antioxidants that protect against cell damage and reduce disease risk.
- Eating brown rice can help regulate blood sugar and lower diabetes risk.
Rice is a pantry staple that pairs well with everything from vegetables to meat. You may know that the brown variety, a whole grain, is generally considered healthier than its white counterpart—but what happens to your body when you eat it routinely? Here are four potential effects of making brown rice a regular part of your diet.
1. Weight Management
Research suggests that, compared to white rice, brown rice may not be associated with weight gain. Brown rice may also increase your resting metabolic rate, which means you burn more calories when sitting or relaxing.
2. Antioxidant Boost
Brown rice contains whole grains, which are rich with antioxidants such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Antioxidants are powerful molecules in plant foods that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage. Phenolic compounds in particular are known to protect cells against damage linked to a greater risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease.
3. Blood Sugar Regulation
Brown rice plays an important role in regulating blood sugar, and is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. That’s likely because the bran layer in brown rice—which is removed from white rice—digests more slowly, preventing blood sugar spikes.
4. Heart Health Support
Eating brown rice may help you lower factors that increase your cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, such as high blood lipid levels, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
A diet rich in brown rice can significantly reduce inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, and other CVD risk factors.
Brown Rice Nutrition
One cup of cooked long-grain brown rice contains the following nutrients:
- Calories: 248
- Fat: 1.96 grams (g)
- Sodium: 8.08 milligrams (mg)
- Carbohydrates: 51.7 g
- Fiber: 3.23 g
- Added sugars: 0.485 g
- Protein: 5.54 g
Brown rice is rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids. One cup can give you at least 85% of your daily manganese needs. Manganese benefits immune function, reproduction, and strong bones.
You’ll also get over 20% of your daily need for magnesium needs, which is essential for muscle and nerve function, DNA production, and blood sugar and blood pressure regulation.
Cooked brown rice also contains between 10% and 27% of the daily goal od selenium, copper, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.
What Should You Know Before Eating It?
Brown rice contains arsenic, a groundwater contaminant linked to potential health risks, such as adverse pregnancy outcomes and certain cancers.
Identifying the precise link between rice consumption and health outcomes is complicated. The populations studied don’t always have comparable rice consumption patterns.
The amounts of arsenic in water used to cook rice also vary widely. This makes it difficult to determine the risk from the rice itself.
If you’re concerned about arsenic levels, look for parboiled or converted brown rice.
Boiling brown rice can remove up to 54% of unwanted heavy metals like arsenic. The parboiled method is also shown to help preserve nutrients such as zinc.
Another way to reduce possible arsenic exposure is to consume brown rice in moderation as one of several sources of whole-grain carbohydrates.
Read the original article on Health
