A staple of the Asian diet wreaks havoc on heart health, which means over a billion people could be potentially screwed during their lifetimes. The main culprit is white rice which is just as bad as candy in maintaining your heart health. White rice is a core piece of any Asian meal. That part isn’t shocking—but if you’ve ever been to this part of the world, you’d know that it’s the side dish served with your meal. White rice in Asia is like pasta in Italy. It’s omnipresent. It’s inescapable. And now it can ravage your heart like a napalm raid through a rice paddy (via NY Post):
Here’s some spooky news for rice lovers this October: A new study has found that eating too many refined grains is just as bad for your heart as eating too much Halloween candy.
The report, which studied the eating habits and health histories of Iranians, says the risk of premature coronary artery disease, or PCAD, from eating refined grains which include white rice, the Daily Mail reported, is similar to that of eating the kind of “unhealthy sugars and oils” found in sweet treats.
The study focused on a group of some 2,500 people, some with normal arteries and some with coronary artery disease. Each participant answered a food frequency questionnaire to determine how often they ate whole and refined grains.
Researchers found a higher intake of refined grain was associated with an increased risk of PCAD, while eating whole grains was associated with a reduced risk.
Grains are “refined” when they’re processed into flour or meal, which gives them a finer texture and longer shelf life but eliminates some key nutrients. However, whole grains, like brown rice oats and whole-wheat bread, contain the entire grain.
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Of course, you can’t go wrong eating anything in moderation, and this data could change. It seemed like forever that daily water consumption should be between eight-to-twelve glasses. Some experts say that we're pissing away proper nutrients and minerals. Given how the experts have botched their advice on COVID, I’m willing to wait and see on this one.
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