Rashidat Oladele
Claim: Cooking method can make rice suitable for diabetes patients.
A post made by @medhyaherbals claims that soaking rice for few hours before preparing can help with insulin resistance and reduce the GI which measures a good impact on blood sugar. Hereby making it eatable for people with diabetes She also went on to say they are studies that backed her claim.
The post have since gathered a 6,900,000 views;64,800 likes;1,191 comments and 69,200 share
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5kBovKSD1x/?igsh=MXh5YjRtb3RvM3kzNA==
A staple food for most people on the planet, rice has a high glycemic index (GI) of 64–93% and is often eaten as white, cooked, polished grain. It is essential to thoroughly assess rice’s nutritional makeup, which varies depending on the variety, due to its basic significance in the diet of humans.
NatureNews, Africa’s foremost news publications which is dedicated to providing accurate insights to stop the spread of fake news particularly among users of social media, subjected the claim to fact checking.
Findings: Using the Google search tool in conducting this research, NatureFact, the fact checking unit of NatureNews, accessed a few papers and studies.
https://www.onmanorama.com/food/features/2024/01/29/how-to-have-rice-safely-if-you-are- diabetic.html
“Rinse the rice at least thrice before cooking. Do not forget to soak the rice for an hour.
Allow the cooked rice to cool down completely. This improves the process of producing resistant starch.
https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/805542/soaking-grains-
“Experts say that soaking helps germinate brown rice and that the compounds released can significantly reduce the nerve and vascular damage associated with diabetes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9516166/
“Epidemiological studies have linked intake of refined grains, including white rice, to a higher risk of T2D, while intake of whole grains, such as brown rice, has been linked to lower risk.Previous meta-analyses of cohort studies have shown positive associations between white rice intake and the risk of T2D particularly in Asian populations.Since these publications, a number of new studies have been published, providing data from additional world regions.
Verdict:False, There is no research that suggests rice is a healthy meal option for those with diabetes, thus patients should follow their doctors’ stringent diet recommendations rather than those of social media self-proclaimed health gurus.The only rice that was approved was brown rice because it is unprocessed and contains fiber.