Brown Rice Can Benefit Diabetics

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A compound in brown rice can reduce diabetes-related damage in nerves and blood vessels, says a U.S. study.

The growth factor acylated steryl glucosides (ASG) -- which is released when brown rice is soaked in water overnight before cooking -- helps normalize blood sugar and enzymes that are awry in people with diabetes, United Press International reported.

The study appears in the Journal of Lipid Research.

Unlike white rice, brown rice still has some of the growth factor, which resumes activity after about 24 hours in water, said Dr. Robert K. Yu of the Medical College of Georgia, UPI reported.

"You have to let it grow, germinate a little bit. Some of the active ingredients generated as a result of the germination process are beneficial to you," he said in a news release.