By Lee Kyung-min
The regular intake of rice may help people stay fit, thereby better managing obesity, limited data showed Monday.
According to a joint study conducted by the Rural Development Administration and Bundang Jesaeng Hospital on 10 people of 28 people, those who ate rice experienced weight loss of up to 800 grams, while those who ate bread only lost 500 grams.
The agriculture ministry-supervised organization said one of the study participants lost 11 kilograms and reduced body fat by 42 percent after maintaining a rice-based diet with limited sugar and other “fattening” ingredients.
“When consuming the same amount, bread is far more likely to make a person feel hungry than rice,” a researcher said. “Feeling hungry inevitably results in eating sooner than you should, which is linked to increased chances of becoming obese.”
The study came amid plummeting rice prices following a growing dislike of the agricultural product in Korea. Eating rice has long been associated with becoming overweight, a major reason it is being shunned by young people highly conscious of staying and looking fit.
Data from Statistics Korea showed per capita rice consumption was 62.9 kilograms last year, just over half that of 136.4 kilogram in 1970.
Over a third, or 37.5 percent, of the rice produced in Korea is consumed in making ethanol, a major component of liquor, followed by rice cake makers and making rice-based makgeolli, another alcoholic drink.