Indifference To Brown Rice Puts Malaysians At Greater Risk For Diabetes

Healthier alternatives to white rice – namely, brown rice, low-carb noodles, etc. – have not caught on in Malaysia and other Asia-Pacific countries, intensifying the risk of obesity and diabetes in the region. A study published in May reported that 48.6 percent of Malaysian women and 43.8 percent of men are either overweight or obese, thanks mainly to a diet based heavily on white rice in the “most obese” country in Asia. Malaysian health officials are urging their countrymen to break the white rice habit. But it’s an uphill battle: Euromonitor sees almost no market in the country for more healthful brown rice.