Brown rice vs white rice: carbs, fiber and net carbs

Most people asking this want to know whether brown rice is worth it for weight or blood sugar. It helps a little. In single-meal tests pooled in a meta-analysis, whole-grain rice raised blood glucose less than white. Over 6 to 16 weeks in adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, the swap did not change HbA1c, the three-month blood sugar marker. Pooled trials found 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) more weight loss with brown rice, at low to very low certainty.

Cooking narrows the gap. Brown rice beat white on blood sugar when both were cooked equally long, but at its usual longer cooking times the difference was small and inconsistent.

The white rice in this table is enriched. Milling strips 75 to 90 percent of rice's thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin E, and enrichment adds iron, folate, thiamin and niacin. Cooking rice like pasta and draining it cuts inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent, the FDA says, but in FDA lab tests it also washed out 50 to 70 percent of those added nutrients, while brown rice lost much less.

For babies, white rice cereals tend to carry less inorganic arsenic than brown, the FDA notes, and it advises pregnant women to eat a variety of grains. Otherwise, pick the rice you will eat often.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level A In a meta-analysis of randomized trials, whole-grain rice cut the post-meal blood glucose area by 730 mg/dL (40.5 mmol/L) x min compared with white rice. Am J Clin Nutr, 2018
2. Level B A meta-analysis of 7 trials in 417 adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes found brown rice did not lower HbA1c versus white rice, though body weight fell by 4.9 lb (2.2 kg). PeerJ, 2021
3. Level A A meta-analysis of 13 RCTs found brown rice instead of white rice cut weight by 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) and waist by 1 in (2.56 cm), with low to very low certainty. Golzarand M, et al. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022
4. Level B A systematic review found rice glycemic index ranges from 48 to 93, and brown rice beats white only at equal cooking times. At the longer times used for brown rice the gap is small and inconsistent. Br J Nutr, 2015
5. Level E WHO notes that milling rice to white removes 75 to 90% of its thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. WHO, Guideline: Fortification of Rice with Vitamins and Minerals as a Public Health Strategy, 2018
6. Level D Boiling rice in excess water and draining it cut inorganic arsenic by 40% in long grain white rice in FDA laboratory tests, but also cut added iron, folate, niacin and thiamin by 50 to 70%, while rinsing barely changed arsenic. Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2016
7. Level E The FDA says cooking rice like pasta, in plenty of water that is then drained, can cut its inorganic arsenic by 40 to 60 percent depending on the rice. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, What You Can Do to Limit Exposure to Arsenic
8. Level E FDA sets an action level of 100 ppb inorganic arsenic for infant rice cereals and notes white rice cereals tend to carry less inorganic arsenic than brown rice cereals. US FDA, Final guidance on action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals, 2020
9. Level E The FDA advises pregnant women to eat a variety of grains as part of a well-balanced diet, in its guidance on arsenic in rice. US FDA, Final guidance on action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals, 2020
10. Level E Boiled wholegrain brown rice has 132 calories, 3.6 g protein, 1.5 g fiber and 48 mg magnesium per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the UK composition table. CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 11-869 (OGL v3.0)

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Brown rice vs white rice: same calories, a smaller glucose rise after the meal
• Brown rice: more fiber and magnesium, and no HbA1c gain over white rice in trials
• White rice: how much you eat decides what the data says

What the studies say

• Is brown rice good for weight loss? A kilo or two at most, and reviews disagree

Rankings and guides

• Carbohydrates: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in dietary fiber?
• Which foods are highest in carbohydrate?
• Added sugar: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Brown rice: full nutrition facts
• White rice: full nutrition facts

More comparisons

• White rice vs wild rice

• Brown rice: USDA FoodData Central, Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), FDC ID 169704 · full profile · all forms of brown rice
• White rice: USDA FoodData Central, Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked, FDC ID 168878 · full profile · all forms of white rice

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.