Starches raise diabetes risk in blacks and Chinese

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Starchy foods such as white rice and bread raise the likelihood of diabetes for both black and Chinese women, but adding some whole-grain foods may reverse the risk, researchers reported on Monday.

Two studies -- the first to look at this aspect of diabetes risk in non-white women -- both show that eating refined carbohydrates can boost rates of diabetes.

One of the studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that women who ate the most fiber had the lowest risk of diabetes.

And both support the theory of glycemic index, which holds that certain types of carbohydrates such as sugars and refined grains can cause a spike in blood sugar that damages the body's ability to use insulin and process sugar.

For one study, Supriya Krishnan of the Boston University School of Public Health and colleagues studied more than 40,000 U.S. black women who filled out regular questionnaires every two years starting in 1995.

Over eight years, 1,938 of the women developed type 2 diabetes. The women who ate the most foods with a high glycemic index had a higher risk of diabetes.

But those who ate more fiber from whole grains had a lower risk. "Our results indicate that black women can reduce their risk of diabetes by eating a diet that is high in cereal fiber," Krishnan's team wrote.

Women who ate 5.9 grams of fiber a day or more had an 18 percent reduced risk of diabetes compared to the rest of the women, the researchers said.

"Incorporating fiber sources into the diet is relatively easy," they added.