There are more and more studies surfacing to suggest that whole grains are related to anti-aging and improving your overall health.
While a diet high in rice is unlikely to lengthen your life significantly, it offers some anti-aging benefits.
Plenty of research has shown that whole grains can lower the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. But can rice really have anti-aging benefits? Let’s find out today.
What Is Rice?
Rice is a grain that is consumed all around the world and can be used in many different dishes and forms of cooking. It’s a staple food for almost everyone, particularly in South Korea, China, and India.
There are over 7,000 types of rice around the world – yep, you read that right – and they come in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
The most common rice that you most likely will have heard of is brown rice or white rice.
White rice is the most common type of rice to consume, but brown rice is becoming more popular.
Is Rice Anti-Aging?
Brown rice is full of anti-aging antioxidants, as well as damage-repairing proteins and complex carbohydrates. These can keep your blood sugars regulated to help reduce the signs of aging.
Blood sugar alternating can cause your body stress, which is one of the biggest reasons for sped-up aging. So, if you can fight this by eating brown rice, you’ll inadvertently lessen the signs of aging.
White rice does not include these nutrients, though. White rice is much higher in carbohydrate content and starch, which makes it more unhealthy than brown rice.
While brown rice does have promise in the right for anti-aging, white rice is not considered anti-aging.
Eating too much white rice can actually put more stress on your body, increasing the signs of aging. White rice is what people are commonly referring to when they say that rice is unhealthy.
However, brown rice is healthier and full of beneficial antioxidants.
The Difference Between White And Brown Rice
All types of rice are made up of predominantly carbohydrates, with trace amounts of protein. There is almost no fat in rice.
However, the difference between white and brown rice is more than just the color. Brown rice is a whole grain, which means it contains every part of the grain, including the nutritious germ, fibrous bran, and carb-rich endosperm.
This makes brown rice chewy when cooked, and the cooking time takes longer, too.
White rice has the majority of the germ and bran removed, making it softer and more enjoyable. While it is subjectively nicer, removing these parts of the grain removes most of its nutrients.
These are the nutrients that contain antioxidants, meaning that white rice is not anti-aging.
White rice can actually lead to obesity, which can increase the signs of aging such as sagging skin and wrinkles.
Benefits Of Brown Rice
Now that we know which type of rice is the best for anti-aging, let’s take a deeper dive into the benefits of brown rice.
Brown Rice Contains Plenty Of Nutrients
Brown rice is a complete grain and therefore full of beneficial nutrients. It contains more fiber and antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
However, bear in mind that grains of rice are so small that they’re unlikely to contain lots of these nutrients.
For example, 100 grams of brown rice contains 1.6 grams of fiber. This isn’t much, but when you compare it to the 0.4 grams of fiber that 100 grams of white rice offers, the difference is quite stark.
There isn’t that much information on antioxidants, although we do know that it contains both phenols and flavonoids.
These two antioxidants are known for reducing damage to your cells and reducing the risk of early aging.
Brown rice also contains higher levels of iron and calcium, which have been linked to anti-aging properties.
Brown Rice Can Lower Blood Sugar Levels
Brown rice contains plenty of fiber and magnesium, two nutrients that are effective at controlling blood sugar levels.
Studies have shown that eating whole grains, like brown rice, can help to lower blood sugar levels. A diet full of whole grains can also lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, which can reduce stress on your body.
As we mentioned earlier, keeping your body free of stress as much as possible can help fight the signs of aging.
Even if you replace white rice with brown rice, you can benefit from these effects.
White rice has a GI of 89 and brown rice has a GI of 50. This means that white rice actually increases your blood sugar levels much more quickly than brown rice.
However, it is worth noting that both brown and white rice are full of carbohydrates and therefore will increase your blood sugar levels.
Studies Have Indicated That Brown Rice Can Reduce The Risk Of Heart Disease
Research has shown that eating a diet with brown rice can reduce more than one risk factor for heart disease.
45 studies were analyzed to determine that people eating the most whole grains, such as brown rice and brown bread, had between 16 and 21% lower risk of heart disease. This is quite a substantial difference when it comes to such a worrying disease.
Whole grains, such as brown rice, can lower the LDL cholesterol, otherwise known as bad cholesterol. It has also been known to increase HDL or good cholesterol.
However, these findings have not been consistently proven throughout studies.
Brown Rice Is Anti-Inflammatory
Brown rice contains plenty of antioxidants that can neutralize harmful radical compounds in the body. This can reduce inflammation and other chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Being free of chronic diseases and inflammation can give you a new lease on life, improving your quality of life. This, in turn, can make you appear younger, allowing you to enjoy a more active lifestyle.
There are plenty of ways brown rice can fight the signs of aging, inside and out.
Brown Rice Can Aid In Weight Control
Finally, brown rice can help to reduce your weight. This is especially true if you eat a lot of white rice. Switching to brown rice can offer you all of the benefits that we have mentioned earlier, as well as fewer calories.
This can reduce BMI and overall weight. A study with 40 overweight women saw that brown rice reduced their body weight much more than white rice did.
A reduction in weight can also make you appear more youthful.
Summary
Thanks for reading our article! Brown rice is a great grain to eat when you want to naturally fight the signs of aging. This is thanks to its complete grain status and the antioxidants it contains.
Brown rice can also lower blood sugar levels, offering your body less stress to deal with, which can reduce the signs of aging.
It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce your internal aging processes. Less inflammation can help you lead a more active life, which can help you feel younger.
If you want to see how rice can fight the signs of aging, try swapping the white rice in your diet for brown rice.
