If you want to control your blood sugar levels, one effective way could be to eat rice with chopsticks, say local [Singapore] nutrition experts.
According to Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, a local study jointly carried out by the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, the National University of Singapore and the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC) investigated the eating habits of 11 people, studying the differences between those who use chopsticks, spoons and hands to eat.
They found that those who use chopsticks to eat white rice experienced significantly lower glucose response, meaning that they had lower rates of increase in their blood sugar levels, compared to those who used spoons and hands.
CNRC director Jeyakumar Henry said: 'I lived in England for more than 30 years, and everyone used spoons to eat, but in my three years in Singapore, I realised that the multi-ethnic population here had their own unique ways of eating. This made me think about whether the way we eat affects our glucose response.'
'I'm pleased that our survey showed that eating rice with chopsticks results in a lower glucose response. I think it's because when one uses chopsticks, the amount of rice grains picked up is smaller than if one uses his hands or a spoon. As a result, one eats less in a mouthful, and increases the time it takes to eat.'
He further explained that when people eat less and chew less, slowly-eaten or incompletely digested carbohydrate particles are larger and take longer to digest, which result in a lower increase in blood sugar after eating.
'For example, you take about 43 mouthfuls to finish a bowl of rice if you're using a pair of chopsticks,' he added. 'If you use a spoon or your hands, you can finish the equivalent in between 17 and 20 mouthfuls. When you take a longer time to finish eating, it's effective in lowering your glucose response.'
He emphasised that a slower rate of glucose response was more effective in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Read the article in full here: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/eating-rice-chopsticks-lowers-ones-blood-sugar-level-local-study-2015030 and read more here .
Could the findings of this study be used in our country to help reduce the risks of Type II diabetes? Should chopsticks be prescribed to all at-risk patients? Could chopsticks reduce the requirement for so many people to become reliant on medication? Should schools include education on chopstick use as part of the health curriculum?
If there is evidence that switching to chopsticks could make a health difference to those with weight and metabolic disease problems, should their use be better promoted?
What do you think?
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It is proposed that chopsticks should be promoted as the preferred eating utensil in our country