Every person who thinks about what they eat has surely encountered the statement that white rice does not belong to a healthy or sports diet. In short, the claim that white rice is unhealthy and brown rice is healthy. The most common arguments about the unsuitability of white rice are based on the fact that white rice has a high glycaemic index, is an industrially processed (refined) food and is "empty calories" or "empty carbohydrates without nutrients". On the other hand, one should supposedly prefer brown (natural, whole grain, semi-hulled) rice as a "real food" that contains both the cover layers (without the top husk) and the germ with a lot of health-giving nutrients. So what about eating white and brown rice in reality?
1. Glycaemic index, weight loss and sport
By far the most common argument against white rice is the fact that white rice has a higher GI than brown rice and therefore raises blood glucose levels faster. Ignoring the fact that different types of rice have a range of GI values between 48 - 96, is this argument about the higher GI of white rice even relevant? The concept of GI was developed in the 1980s for diabetics to provide a practical guide for selecting foods according to their effect on blood sugar and insulin dosage, but it also has a tremendous number of limitations. First, the GI is determined under laboratory conditions ONLY in subjects who have fasted all night the night before. Second, GI is determined after eating rice ALONE after fasting. Why are we writing this here? Because we now know that the GI is EXTREMELY reduced by the combined consumption of protein, fat, fibre and yet in practice NO ONE routinely consumes rice alone. A recent study, for example, showed that although white rice alone actually has a GI of 96, when eaten together with chicken breast it is only 73, with oil it is 67, and if rice is eaten as the most "classic fitness" meal like chicken breast with white rice and vegetables cooked in oil, the resulting GI is 50! In other words, if you eat complex meals containing protein, fat, fibre and carbohydrates, the difference in GI of the resulting meal will be COMPLETELY negligible, whether you have white or brown rice with it.
Similarly, the effect on weight loss will be ZERO if you just replace the same amount of white rice with brown rice. You won't lose weight by eating brown rice (or brown sugar, brown flour or pink salt), but by having a calorie deficit and a well-designed and sustainable diet. Moreover, if we look at poor developing countries where white rice accounts for 80% or more of total energy intake, the population there is not suffering from obesity, but unfortunately the exact opposite problem of malnutrition. And for the record, if you thought that some athletes (e.g., bodybuilders, marathoners, cross-country skiers, etc.) do consume separate rice and other carbohydrate sources (as part of carbohydrate supercompensation before races, after training, etc.), you are of course correct. It's just that for them, on the other hand, the highest possible GI is DESIRABLE, as they seek to digest carbs and replenish glycogen stores as quickly as possible. By the same token, athletes therefore intentionally overcook their rice after training to purposely increase its GI and speed up glycogen replenishment and regeneration.
2. Nutritional value and digestion
The second most common argument for brown rice is that it contains many more health-giving nutrients than refined white rice, which is said to contain only "empty calories and carbohydrates", thanks to its coating and germ. Really? Because if we take a closer look at the nutritional values of white and brown rice from one manufacturer, we find that per 100 g the protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre content differs by only 1-2 g and the calorie content by a "whole" 10 kcal (brown rice more kcal). If we look at the content of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, there is no doubt that brown rice contains more of these (NB: white rice is brown rice from which the cover and germ containing these nutrients have been removed during refining). The problem, however, is that humans are not herbivores, and so the fibre and phytates contained in these envelopes act as ANTINUTRIENTS that reduce the bioavailability of these micronutrients. In other words, although brown rice does indeed ABSOLUTELY contain more micronutrients, because of the fibre and antinutrients in the envelope layers, their actual bioavailability to humans is lower and for some micronutrients even worse than in the case of white rice (which does contain an absolute lower amount, but a relatively higher amount is absorbed into the body).
By the way, there is one more problem with the packaging layers and that is the question of the effect on digestion. White rice is actually one of the best tolerated and easiest to digest foods in the world, which can be consumed even by people who otherwise suffer from food allergies and intolerances, or even people suffering from acute diarrhoea etc. On the other hand, brown rice (because of its coating and anti-nutrients) can cause digestive problems in a large number of people, such as bloating and flatulence, cramps, constipation, diarrhoea, etc., which incidentally are often attributed to gluten.
3. Health and arsenic
From a health and "healthy" nutrition perspective, these small differences in macronutrient content and micronutrient bioavailability of different rice varieties may be relevant in poor developing parts of the world where rice accounts for 80% of the total energy intake of the population. However, if we consume any mixed diet (containing fruit, vegetables, other cereals, and several sources of protein) in Europe, these small differences between brown and white rice are ABSOLUTELY irrelevant to us. Therefore, again and again, let's beware of the MARKETING of some food manufacturers - yes, a given food (brown rice) may indeed contain some important element or vitamin that in itself undoubtedly has many positive benefits for the human body. But the question is HOW MUCH of it does this food actually contain and what is its actual BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY to actually have any benefit to the human body in this amount and form. In the case of a mixed diet, these differences between white and brown rice are absolutely negligible to the claimed health benefits.
In this context, however, there is a more serious problem, namely the arsenic content. Arsenic is a human carcinogen that is commonly found in small amounts in the environment, in drinking water and in many foods. Incidentally, arsenic trioxide or just arsenic has been one of the most popular and widespread poisons since ancient times of poisoners and was nicknamed "heir powder" in its day. In food, arsenic is by far the most abundant in seafood and fish (total arsenic content: dried seaweed 50 mg/kg, octopus 5.5 mg/kg, cod fillets 2.7 mg/kg, canned tuna 0.99 mg/kg). It is the rice cover layers that trap arsenic and therefore brown rice contains MORE ARSENIUM than white rice (e.g. the inorganic arsenic content of white basmati rice is 0.062 mg/kg and brown basmati rice 0.133 mg/kg). However, a 2017 analysis by dTest magazine showed that all tested rice types meet the EFSA limits. In addition, the arsenic content can be influenced by the way it is cooked due to its solubility in water. While conventional cooking in excess water and subsequent milling of the rice removes up to 40-60 % of the inorganic arsenic content, cooking rice in small amounts of water, where the water is gradually absorbed and evaporated (e.g., in a rice cooker), leaves the arsenic content virtually unchanged. Therefore, in a mixed and varied diet, the arsenic content of rice will not be as much of a problem as for people who consume several portions of rice per day as part of a long-term healthy or sporting diet. For them, it is preferable to choose white rice, rinse it thoroughly and cook it in more water, and then drain it.
Summary
As we have shown in the previous points, there are indeed differences between white and brown rice. However, these differences are ABSOLUTELY NEGLIGIBLE in terms of GI and nutritional value in any mixed diet, but may play a role in poor developing countries where the population consumes 80% or more of all calories from rice. Brown rice, because of its antinutrients and coating, can cause digestive problems and may contain up to twice the amount of arsenic. In addition, it has a poorer taste, paradoxically has a higher price and is often more time-consuming to cook than white rice. Therefore, in this case, do not automatically believe the equation that white and refined = unhealthy and brown = healthy. In the case of rice, this is not true. Eat the rice whose taste, price and cooking is the most sustainable for you in a balanced diet.
Literature
1. Boers, H. M., J. Seijen ten Hoorn a D. J. Mela, 2015. A systematic review of the infl uence of rice characteristics and processing methods on postprandial glycaemic and insulinaemic responses. British Journal of Nutrition. 114(7), 1035–1045.
2. Callegaro, D. Mda, and J. Tirapegui. „Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice.“ Arquivos de gastroenterologia 33.4 (1996): 225-231.
3. Miyoshi, Hiroko, et al. „Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets.“ Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology 33.3 (1987): 207-218.
4. Sun, L. et al., 2014. Eff ect of chicken, fat and vegetable on glycaemia and insulinaemia to a white rice-based meal in healthy adults. European journal of nutrition. 53(8), 1719–1726.
5. Schlemmer, Ulrich, et al. „Phytate in foods and significance for humans: food sources, intake, processing, bioavailability, protective role and analysis.“ Molecular nutrition & food research 53.S2 (2009): S330-S375.
6. Wei, Yudan, Jianmin Zhu, and An Nguyen. „Rice consumption and urinary concentrations of arsenic in US adults.“ International journal of environmental health research 24.5 (2014): 459-470.
7. Brown Rice vs White Rice: Which Is Good or Bad, Healthy or Unhealthy? https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/
8. Arsenic in your food: Our findings show a real need for federal standards for this toxin https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm#chart
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