Is brown rice good for diabetics?
Brown rice is a high-glycemic food: its glycemic index is 72 (median of 5 lab tests, range 58 to 87). A serving of 1 cup (7.1 oz, 202 g) has 51.7 g of carbs and 3.2 g of fiber, a glycemic load of about 35.
This page is for people with diabetes or prediabetes. The glycemic index compares foods, and the glycemic load on this page adjusts it for a real serving. If you follow a meal plan from your care team, use these numbers within it.
Carbs in a serving
| Per 1 cup (7.1 oz, 202 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total carbohydrate | 51.7 g |
| Fiber | 3.2 g |
| Sugars | 0.5 g |
| Carbs minus fiber | 48.4 g |
| Glycemic load (GI × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100) | 35 |
USDA FoodData Central, Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program). Glycemic load uses the median GI below.
Glycemic index tests
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown rice (0% polished), prepared from the Indian rice variety "Bapatla" (BPT-5204), pressure cooked for... | 58 | medium | India |
| Brown rice (SunRice, Ricegrowers Ltd., NSW, Australia) | 65 | medium | Australia |
| Brown rice, boiled in excess water for 25 min (SunRice brand, Rice Growers Co-op, Australia) | 72 | high | Australia |
| Brown rice (SunRice, Ricegrowers Ltd., NSW, Australia) | 78 | high | Australia |
| Brown rice | 87 | high | China |
Glucose = 100. Categories from the International Tables: low 55 or less, medium 56 to 69, high 70 or more. Only tests that met the ISO 26642:2010 method (Supplemental Table 1).
Compared with similar foods
| Food | Portion | GI | Carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown rice | 1 cup (7.1 oz, 202 g) | 72 | 51.7 g | 35 |
| Barley | 1 cup (5.5 oz, 157 g) | 28 | 44.3 g | 11 |
| Sweet corn | 1 cup (5.1 oz, 145 g) | 55 | 27.1 g | 13 |
| White rice | 1 cup (5.6 oz, 158 g) | 80 | 44.5 g | 35 |
Same food group in the International Tables, each at its usual US portion (USDA).
How much the glycemic index matters
Studies and guidelines do not agree on how much weight to give the glycemic index.
- Level C A year after the World Health Organization set the glycemic index aside, a meta-analysis of cohorts each over a hundred thousand people linked high glycemic index diets to more diabetes, heart disease and death. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024
- Level E The World Health Organization examined the glycemic index, found it inconsistent, and refused to build guidance on it. Carbohydrate intake for adults and children: WHO guideline, 2023
- Level C Glycemic index and glycemic load, the other two ways of judging carbohydrate, held up far worse than fiber in the same analysis. Reynolds et al., The Lancet, 2019
What studies found about brown rice
- 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
- Level B In a 3-month crossover RCT in 166 overweight Indian adults, brown rice did not change glucose or HbA1c overall, but lowered HbA1c by 0.18% in those with metabolic syndrome. Br J Nutr, 2019
- Level B In a crossover test in 10 healthy and 9 diabetic volunteers, brown rice gave a 12.1% lower glycemic index than milled rice in healthy people and 35.6% lower in diabetics. Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2006
Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study, D lab or animal work, E an expert position. How we grade evidence.
In practice
In one crossover test of the same rice milled or not, brown rice gave a lower GI than white rice, by 12% in 10 healthy people and 36% in 9 people with type 2 diabetes. The five ISO tests here still ranged from 58 to 87, so the variety and the way it is cooked can move the number a lot.
A cup of cooked brown rice has 51.7 g of carbs and a glycemic load of about 35, the same load as a cup of white rice. Barley in the same group has a GI of 28 and a load of about 11 a cup.
Switching from white to brown rice did not lower HbA1c in a pooled analysis of 7 trials in people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The portion moves the load most. Half a cup halves it, to about 17. In gestational diabetes, your care team sets the carbs per meal.
Evidence behind this note
- 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
- Level B In a crossover test in 10 healthy and 9 diabetic volunteers, brown rice gave a 12.1% lower glycemic index than milled rice in healthy people and 35.6% lower in diabetics. Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2006
Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Atkinson FS et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;114(5):1625-1632, Supplemental Table 1, PMID 34258626, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab233 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), FDC ID 169704
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Barley, pearled, cooked, FDC ID 170285
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Corn, sweet, yellow, raw, FDC ID 169998
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked, FDC ID 168878
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.