Healthier rice variety could counter rise in diabetes, Philippine scientists say

Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, where 380 rice samples were screened over 10 years to identify genes with a lower GI. Photograph: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty

Scientists in the Philippines have created a new variety of rice that could help reduce the growing burden of diabetes.

More than 537 million adults worldwide are living with the chronic disease – a number that is expected to grow to 783 million by 2045. Being overweight, genetics and a lack of exercise contribute to type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form. Type 2 occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough of the insulin hormone, leaving too much glucose in the blood, and cells develop a resistance to insulin.