Is white rice good for diabetics?
White rice is a high-glycemic food: its glycemic index is 80 (median of 5 lab tests, range 64 to 83). A serving of 1 cup (5.6 oz, 158 g) has 44.5 g of carbs and 0.6 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 (5.6 oz, 158 g) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total carbohydrate | 44.5 g |
| Fiber | 0.6 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g |
| Carbs minus fiber | 43.9 g |
| Glycemic load (GI × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100) | 35 |
USDA FoodData Central, Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked. Glycemic load uses the median GI below.
Glycemic index tests
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice, Carnaroli, regular (Scotti, Italy) | 64 | medium | Italy |
| White rice, Ponni, refined, harvested 2014, pressure-cooked for 30 min | 77 | high | India |
| White rice, fully polished, prepared from the Indian rice variety "Bapatla" (BPT-5204), pressure cooked... | 80 | high | India |
| White rice, Ponni, refined, harvested 2013, pressure-cooked for 30 min | 81 | high | India |
| White rice, NS | 83 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 1 cup (5.6 oz, 158 g) | 80 | 44.5 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 |
| Brown rice | 1 cup (7.1 oz, 202 g) | 72 | 51.7 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 white rice
- 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
- Level B In a crossover RCT of 12 healthy women, drinking green tea with 5.3 oz (150 g) of white rice raised post-meal glucose above rice eaten alone by speeding gastric emptying. Physiol Behav, 2025
- Level B In a crossover RCT of 18 young women, eating vegetables before boiled white rice lowered post-meal glucose and insulin even when the meal was eaten in 10 minutes. Nutrients, 2023
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
White rice is in the high band, with five ISO tests from 64 to 83. Italian Carnaroli rice was the lowest at 64, so the variety matters.
A cup of cooked white rice has 44.5 g of carbs and almost no fiber, a glycemic load of about 35. Barley and sweet corn come in far lower per cup.
Order can help. In one trial in 18 healthy young women, eating vegetables before boiled white rice lowered the glucose and insulin rise after the meal. Whole-grain rice cut the post-meal glucose response compared with white rice in a pooled analysis of trials. Per cup, brown rice in the table above still has a glycemic load of about 35, so the portion counts either way.
Evidence behind this note
- 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
- Level B In a crossover RCT of 18 young women, eating vegetables before boiled white rice lowered post-meal glucose and insulin even when the meal was eaten in 10 minutes. Nutrients, 2023
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, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked, FDC ID 168878
- 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, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), FDC ID 169704
- 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.