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Jan 31, 2019 / 15:47

Vietnamese scientist finds anti-diabetes in white rice

The discovery of Momilactones A and B suggests that eating a moderate amount of rice every day contributes to human health by reducing the risk of diabetes, gout and obesity.

Assoc. Professor Tran Dang Xuan, who is working at Hiroshima University (Japan), has discovered and successfully isolated two precious compounds of Momilactones A and B, which can inhibit enzymes in white rice.

The announcement was published on January 29 by the MDPI Molecular Journal in Switzerland, the Vietnamese government's portal reported.
 
Assoc. Professor Tran Dang Xuan and his colleagues at the Physiology, Plant and Biochemistry Laboratory. Photo: Hiroshima University
Assoc. Professor Tran Dang Xuan and his colleagues at the Physiology, Plant and Biochemistry Laboratory. Photo: Hiroshima University
This is the first study to confirm the presence of two compounds Momilactones A and B (MA and MB) in refined rice seeds, and to find anti-diabetic compounds in white rice. 

Some studies have previously found compounds that inhibit diabetes but only on brown or red rice, often with poor quality and difficult to consume.

MA and MB compounds are very rare in the world market and have not been fully studied for biological and pharmacological activities. The compound was sold at US$125 for 0.1 mg on the website Carbosynth.com, a British famous company which sells biochemical products.

Xuan said that there are four genes involved in the synthesis of Momilactones A and B in rice. This will help create new rice varieties that can inhibit diabetes, helping to increase the value of Vietnamese rice.

The discovery of Momilactones A and B suggests that eating a moderate amount of rice every day contributes to human health by reducing the risk of diabetes, gout and obesity. 

Some recent reports indicate that in Vietnam there are more than three million people suffering from or facing diabetes risks, so the results of this study are so significant.

After only one month of appraisal and criticism, the work is published in the international journal of MDPI (the magazine with the first ranking - Q1 - Scimagolab.com's rating). 

MDPI is a member of the Publication Ethics Committee (COPE), which is evaluated by researchers as having a strict policy to ensure high quality of the published scientific works.