Although for many Asian diabetics white rice is a staple, it may not be the most appropriate choice. An acceptable alternative to white rice could be useful in terms of lowering glycaemia and inducing satiety.
Using a repeat randomised crossover design, the effect of the substitution of 40% of white rice with a mixture of low glycaemic index grains, nuts and seeds on satiety was investigated. Thirteen Asian diabetics ate equal portions of the rice-mix and white rice, eating each meal on two occasions. Responses to four appetite (hunger, satiety, fullness, prospective consumption) and four preference questions (desire to eat sweet, savoury, salty and fatty foods) were recorded at half hour intervals for three hours after eating on validated visual analogue scales (VAS).
Scores are reported as area-under-the curve (mm.min). The mean (SD) desire to eat something fatty after the rice-mix was 375 (444), this was significantly lower than after white rice that had a score of 483 (456) mm.min (P< 0.05). There were no other significant differences between the rice meals although there was a tendency for the hunger score to be lower after the rice mix; 721 (356) compared with 610 (306) mm.min for white rice, (P=0.09).
Although, consuming the rice-mix in place of white rice did not increase satiety in the short term, the desire to eat fatty food was diminished. The lack of significance for hunger may be further explored in future investigations. Increasing the sample size will produce more accurate results.
