Quinoa and wild rice: one has trials, the other has a table

Two meta-analyses of quinoa trials disagree about weight. One pooled 5 randomized trials in 206 adults and found body weight 2.8 lb (1.26 kg) lower (95% CI 0.4 to 5.2 lb (0.18 to 2.35 kg)), with LDL cholesterol down 3.08 mg/dl and triglycerides down 7.2 mg/dl. A later one pooled 7 trials in 258 adults eating 0.53 to 1.8 oz (15 to 50 g) a day for 28 to 180 days and found no significant change in weight or BMI. Both rest on small trials, so on weight the answer stays open. The more interesting results come from people with impaired glucose tolerance. In a year-long trial of 138 adults in Guangzhou, 7.8 percent of those told to swap refined rice or flour for 3.5 oz (100 g) of quinoa a day progressed to diabetes, against 20.3 percent of controls who had no intervention. Nobody was blinded and diet was not controlled. A second trial of 207 people with the same condition reported lower 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and insulin resistance after a year on 100 g a day, compared with whole grains or usual diet, but its abstract gives no sizes. We found no randomized trial of wild rice at all.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g raw, UK tables list quinoa with more fat, fiber, iron and magnesium than wild rice, while wild rice has more energy. — CoFID 2021 entries Quinoa raw code 14-843 and Rice wild raw code 11-872, per 3.5 oz (100 g) Evidence E source
  Quinoa 309 calories, protein 13.8 g, fat 5.0 g, AOAC fiber 7.0 g, iron 7.80 mg, magnesium 210 mg; wild rice 343 calories, protein 12.2 g, fat 1.1 g, AOAC fiber 4.3 g, iron 1.27 mg, magnesium 108 mg
• Across 8 USDA samples, iron in quinoa flour ranged from 3.55 to 6.6 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) and zinc in dry wild rice from 4.33 to 6.96 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, Flour quinoa and Wild rice dry raw, 8 samples each, per 3.5 oz (100 g) (n = 8 samples per food) Evidence E source
  Quinoa flour iron mean 4.528 mg (3.55-6.6), magnesium 163.8 mg (130-177); wild rice zinc mean 5.845 mg (4.33-6.96), copper 0.487 mg (0.0863-0.808)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey database, one cup of cooked quinoa weighs 6 oz (170 g) and one cup of cooked wild rice 164 g. — FNDDS entries Quinoa no added fat code 56204005 and Rice wild 100% cooked no added fat code 56205210 Evidence E source
  1 cup cooked: quinoa 170 g, wild rice 164 g; quantity not specified: quinoa 170 g, wild rice 123 g
• Survey data link quinoa to a small minority of diets: about 1.07% of US adults ate it in a 24-hour recall in 2013-2018. — US adults aged 20 years or older in NHANES 2013-2018 (n = 14,806) Evidence C source
  Consumption prevalence barley 0.36%, buckwheat 0.04%, quinoa 1.07%

What your body absorbs

• Laboratory digestion data suggest native quinoa starch has a high slowly digestible starch fraction. — In vitro digestibility of native and modified starches from underutilised seeds including quinoa Evidence D source
  Quinoa starch (QSS) high slowly digestible starch fraction; heat-moisture treated quinoa starch among highest resistant starch

What cooking and storage change

• Boiling wild rice in unsalted water raises its water from 8.3 g to 66.7 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), so energy falls from 343 to 145 calories and protein from 12.2 to 5.3 g per 3.5 oz (100 g). — CoFID 2021 entries Rice wild raw code 11-872 and Rice wild boiled in unsalted water code 11-873, per 3.5 oz (100 g) Evidence E source
  Water 8.3 to 66.7 g; energy 343 to 145 calories; protein 12.2 to 5.3 g; iron 1.27 to 0.54 mg; magnesium 108 to 43 mg

What it does to your health

• By a meta-analysis of 5 RCTs in 206 adults, quinoa seed lowered body weight by 2.8 lb (1.26 kg), triglycerides by 7.2 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol by 3.1 mg/dl. — Adults in randomized controlled trials of quinoa seed supplementation, searched to February 2020 (n = 206) Evidence A source
  Body weight WMD -2.8 lb (95% CI -5.2 to -0.4; metric: -1.26 kg, -2.35 to -0.18); TG -7.20 mg/dl (-9.52 to -4.87); TC -6.86 mg/dl (-10.64 to -3.08); LDL -3.08 mg/dl (-5.13 to -1.03)
• In a 4-week crossover RCT of 37 overweight men, bread with 20 g quinoa flour a day did not lower fasting glucose or LDL cholesterol more than refined wheat bread. — Healthy overweight men aged 35-70, BMI above 25, 4-week crossover with 4-week washout (n = 37) Evidence B source
  No difference between quinoa and control in glucose or LDL; glucose AUC in the last 4 days lower than wheat (p = 0.039)
• In a small acute crossover RCT of 18 healthy young women, cooked quinoa gave a lower 120-minute glucose iAUC than white bread with the same 25 g or 35 g of carbohydrate. — Healthy female students aged 18-30 years, BMI 20-25, Kuwait; quinoa 36 g or 50 g dry, simmered 8-9 min, with 10 g butter (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Glucose iAUC over 120 min lower after both quinoa portions vs both bread portions (F = 4.736; p = 0.006); no difference between the two quinoa doses

Safety, limits and interactions

• In 19 treated celiac patients, 1.8 oz (50 g) of quinoa a day for 6 weeks on a gluten-free diet was well tolerated and did not worsen the disease. — Adult treated celiac patients on a gluten-free diet, 50 g quinoa daily for 6 weeks; histology in 10 (n = 19) Evidence C source
  Gastrointestinal parameters normal; villus height to crypt depth ratio 2.8:1 to 3:1
• Laboratory data suggest Chinese wild rice carries very low arsenic, cadmium and lead, and it showed no toxicity or mutagenicity in mice and Salmonella tests. — Chinese wild rice grain analysis, mice fed diet with 21.5 g/kg, Salmonella mutagenicity test Evidence D source
  No deaths or abnormal reactions in mice; micronucleus, sperm abnormality and Ames tests negative

What people believe that the data does not support

• The European Union refused the claim that quinoa stimulates the hair bulb and favors hair growth, and no claim on quinoa or wild rice is authorized. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, snapshot of 21 September 2026 (n = 1 claim on quinoa, 0 on wild rice, 0 authorized) Evidence E source
  Claim POL-HC-7865 status Non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In an RCT of 207 people with impaired glucose tolerance, 3.5 oz (100 g) of quinoa a day for one year lowered 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR more than whole grains or usual diet. — Adults with impaired glucose tolerance, quinoa 100 g per day replacing about half of staple food, followed for one year (n = 207) Evidence B source
  Lower 2hPG, FINS, HOMA-IR and diabetes development vs multigrain and control (P < 0.05); absolute differences not given in abstract
• In an RCT of 138 people with impaired glucose tolerance, replacing refined staples with 3.5 oz (100 g) of quinoa a day for a year saw 7.8% progress to diabetes versus 20.3% of controls. — Adults with impaired glucose tolerance in Guangzhou, quinoa group told to replace refined rice or white flour with 100 g quinoa daily, one year (n = 138) Evidence B source
  Progression to diabetes 5 of 64 (7.8%) quinoa vs 14 of 69 (20.3%) control; return to normal glucose tolerance 23.4% in quinoa group
• In a crossover RCT of 40 adults aged 50 to 75, quinoa biscuits for 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) and weight by 1.3 lb (0.61 kg) more than wheat biscuits. — Healthy free-living adults aged 50-75 years, 15 g quinoa biscuits daily for 28 days, crossover with 6-week washout (n = 40) Evidence B source
  Total cholesterol -0.30 +/- 22 mg/dL (0.58 mmol/L), LDL -0.25 +/- 15 mg/dL (0.38 mmol/L), weight -0.61 +/- 0.89 kg vs control (P < 0.05)

What is still unknown

• By a meta-analysis of 7 trials in 258 adults eating 0.53 to 1.8 oz (15 to 50 g) of quinoa a day for 28 to 180 days, quinoa did not change BMI or body weight versus placebo. — Adults with mean ages of 31 to 64 years in 7 randomized clinical trials, searched to November 2022 (n = 258) Evidence A source
  BMI MD -0.25 (95% CI -0.98 to 0.47); body weight MD -0.54 (95% CI -3.05 to 1.97); both not significant

The bottom line

Per 100 g raw, the UK tables give quinoa 7.0 g of fiber, 7.8 mg of iron and 210 mg of magnesium, against 4.3 g, 1.27 mg and 108 mg for wild rice. Wild rice has more energy, 343 calories against 309. The quinoa iron figure sits above the USDA range for quinoa flour, 3.55 to 6.6 mg across 8 samples, so read it with caution. Cooking changes the per-100 g numbers mostly by adding water. Boiled wild rice rises from 8.3 g to 2.4 oz (66.7 g) of water per 3.5 oz (100 g), so energy drops from 343 to 145 calories and protein from 12.2 to 5.3 g. A cup of cooked quinoa weighs 6 oz (170 g), and a cup of cooked wild rice 164 g. Only about 1 in 100 US adults ate quinoa on a given day in 2013 to 2018. Smaller trials used quinoa in made-up products. In 40 adults aged 50 to 75, biscuits with 15 g of quinoa a day for 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 9.7 mg/dL (0.25 mmol/L) and weight by 1.3 lb (0.61 kg) more than wheat biscuits. In 37 overweight men, bread with 20 g of quinoa flour a day did no better than wheat bread on fasting glucose or LDL. In 18 young women, a single serving of cooked quinoa raised blood glucose less over two hours than white bread with the same carbohydrate. For people with celiac disease, 19 treated patients ate 1.8 oz (50 g) of quinoa a day for 6 weeks on their gluten-free diet with no worsening. That study had no control group, and in laboratory tests quinoa proteins activated immune cells from some patients, so the long-term question is open. Laboratory and mouse tests found very low arsenic, cadmium and lead in Chinese wild rice and no toxicity, but that is a different species from the wild rice sold in North America. We have no usable card on quinoa allergy, only case reports without abstracts. The EU refused a claim that quinoa helps hair grow, and no health claim on either grain is authorized.

Sources

1. qwr-daily-r3-11 · reference dataset
   Quinoa, raw | CoFID 14-843 | Energy 309 kcal | Protein 13.8 g | Fat 5.0 g | AOAC fibre 7.0 g | Iron 7.80 mg | Magnesium 210 mg || Rice, wild, raw | CoFID 11-872 | Energy 343 kcal | Protein 12.2 g | Fat 1.1 g | AOAC fibre 4.3 g | Iron 1.27 mg | Magnesium 108 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, codes 14-843 and 11-872 · checked 2026-09-28
2. qwr-daily-r3-13 · reference dataset
   Flour, quinoa | Iron, Fe 4.528 MG | range 3.55-6.6 | samples 8 | Magnesium, Mg 163.8 MG | range 130.0-177.0 | samples 8 || Wild rice, dry, raw | Zinc, Zn 5.845 MG | range 4.33-6.96 | samples 8 | Copper, Cu 0.487 MG | range 0.0863-0.808 | samples 8
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-28
3. qwr-daily-r3-14 · reference dataset
   Quinoa, no added fat | FNDDS 56204005 | 1 cup, cooked 170 g | Quantity not specified 170 g || Rice, wild, 100%, cooked, no added fat | FNDDS 56205210 | 1 cup, cooked 164 g | Quantity not specified 123 g
   USDA FNDDS, codes 56204005 and 56205210 · checked 2026-09-28
4. qwr-daily-r3-16 · cross-sectional
   The prevalence of barley, buckwheat and quinoa consumption among US adults were 0.36%, 0.04% and 1.07%, respectively.
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
5. qwr-daily-r3-10 · in vitro
   Digestibility in vitro showed that WSS and QSS presented high SDS fraction, while ASS, MSS, PCSS, and HMT-QSS presented the highest RS content.
   Food Res Int, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28
6. qwr-daily-r3-12 · reference dataset
   Rice, wild, raw | CoFID 11-872 | Water 8.3 g | Energy 343 kcal | Protein 12.2 g | Iron 1.27 mg | Magnesium 108 mg || Rice, wild, boiled in unsalted water | CoFID 11-873 | Water 66.7 g | Energy 145 kcal | Protein 5.3 g | Iron 0.54 mg | Magnesium 43 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, codes 11-872 and 11-873 · checked 2026-09-28
7. qwr-daily-r3-01 · meta-analysis
   Five eligible RCTs representing 206 subjects were enrolled. The pooled result showed that quinoa seed supplementation significantly lowered the body weight (WMD: -1.26 kg, 95% CI: -2.35, -0.18, p = .02) ... triglyceride (TG) (WMD: -7.20 mg/dl, 95% CI: -9.52, -4.87, p < .001), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: -6.86 mg/dl, 95% CI: -10.64, -3.08, p < .001), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) (WMD: -3.08 mg/dl, 95% CI: -5.13, -1.03, p = .003) levels.
   Phytother Res, 2021 · checked 2026-09-28
8. qwr-daily-r3-06 · RCT
   After 4 weeks of intervention, blood glucose and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly lower than baseline in both groups but there was no difference between quinoa and control.
   Nutrients, 2018 · checked 2026-09-28
9. qwr-daily-r3-07 · RCT
   Blood glucose iAUC over 120 min was significantly lower after Q1 and Q2 compared with Brd1 and Brd2 (F = 4.736; p = 0.006; η2 = 0.244; 95% CI = 0.26, 0.400), with no significant difference between the two quinoa doses (Figure 2).
   Foods, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
10. qwr-daily-r3-08 · cohort
    Nineteen treated celiac patients consumed 50 g of quinoa every day for 6 weeks as part of their usual GFD. ... Addition of quinoa to the GFD of celiac patients was well tolerated and did not exacerbate the condition.
    Am J Gastroenterol, 2014 · checked 2026-09-28
11. qwr-daily-r3-09 · animal and in vitro
    Levels of non-nutritive mineral elements such as arsenic, cadmium and lead are very low. ... The bone marrow micronucleus and sperm abnormality tests conducted with mice were negative as was the Salmonella mutagenicity test.
    Food Chem Toxicol, 1996 · checked 2026-09-28
12. qwr-daily-r3-15 · regulatory register
    POL-HC-7865 Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) Stimulation of the hair bulb, favouring the growth of the hair Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7865, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-28
13. qwr-daily-r3-03 · RCT
    In total, 207 participants diagnosed with IGT were randomly assigned to the quinoa group (QG; 100 g day-1, replacing about half of the total daily staple food), multiple whole grain group (WGG; 100 g day-1), or control group (CG) and followed for one year. ... At the efficacy endpoint, the quinoa group (QG) demonstrated significantly longer time in range (TIR) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) conversion rate, along with lower rates of 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hPG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), 14-day mean blood glucose (14dMBG), and diabetes mellitus development compared to those of the multigrain and control groups (P < 0.05).
    Food Funct, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
14. qwr-daily-r3-04 · RCT
    After 1 year of study, 5 participants (7.8%) progressed to diabetes, 44 patients (68.8%) stabilized to impaired glucose tolerance, and 15 cases (23.4%) returned to normal glucose tolerance in the quinoa group. In contrast, 14 patients (20.3%) in the control group progressed to diabetes
    Front Physiol, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28
15. qwr-daily-r3-05 · RCT
    Significantly greater decreases in total and LDL cholesterol concentrations (- 0.30 ± 0.58 and - 0.25 ± 0.38 mmol/L, respectively), TC: HDL ratio (- 0.11 ± 0.30), weight (- 0.61 ± 0.89 kg) and BMI (- 0.22 ± 0.34 kg/m2) were apparent following consumption of the quinoa versus control biscuits (all P < 0.05).
    Eur J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-28
16. qwr-daily-r3-02 · meta-analysis
    Seven trials comprising 258 adults with mean ages of 31 to 64 years were included in this review. Studies used 15 to 50 grams of quinoa/per day as an intervention, and the intervention was between 28 to 180 days. ... In comparison between quinoa seed supplementation and placebo, our findings showed that quinoa seed supplementation did not have a significant effect on BMI (MD: -0.25; 95% CI: -0.98, 0.47; I2=0%, P = 0.998) and BW (MD: -0.54; 95% CI: -3.05, 1.97; I2=0%, P = 0.99), when compared with placebo.
    Curr Med Chem, 2024 · checked 2026-09-28