Determination of the Glycemic Index of the most popular Iranian rice - Tarom - in two cooking methods: Boiled and Steamed

Abstract

Constant consumption of high-glycemic-index (GI) meals increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Measurement of this index is possible for each kind of food. Half of the population of the world, including Iranian people, consumes rice as the staple food. This study selected one of the most popular Iranian rice (brand name of Tarom) to measure GI and glycemic load (GL) value with two different cooking methods (boiled and steamed). This interventional study was conducted in 10 healthy male volunteers with similar activity levels. After 10-h fasting, with three days apart (the first day 50 g glucose powder, the second day boiled cooked Tarom rice, and the third day steamed cooked Tarom rice), 100 ml of distilled water was given to them. Blood glucose levels were measured at −5, 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min by glucometer. The data was analyzed by the statistical software SPSS using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and Tukey’s test. The GI of boiled Tarom rice was 76.8 (high GI) and that of steamed Tarom rice was 83.9 (high GI). The GL of boiled Tarom rice was 41.95 (high GL) and that of steamed Tarom rice was 43.97 (high GL). Conclusively, Tarom rice has a high GI load whenever cooked by boiled or steamed method and is recommended to be eaten in limited quantities for patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and people at risk of kidney and thyroid cancers.