Benefits
Rice for Medical Therapy and Prevention
Rice has been the mainstay of treatment for a
number of conditions, particularly hypertension at a
time when few effective drug therapies were available.
In the 1940s, Walter Kempner developed a treatment
for mild, and even malignant,hypertensionat Duke
University. His hypothesis was that a low-protein diet,
free of salt, would be an effective treatment. He
devised the ‘‘rice diet,’’ which consisted of rice, fruits,
and vegetables. This treatment had good results: the
blood pressure of his patients fell, and even malignant
hypertension was partially reversed. In addition,
blood cholesterol levels also fell. Since this was a cho-
lesterol-free and low-fat diet, it was one of the first to
document a cholesterol-lowering effect from diet.
The other therapeutic role of rice is in the treat-
ment of allergies. Rice seems to be nonallergenic, and
rice milk has been fed to infants allergic to cow’s milk.
Rice proteins have also been incorporated into stand-
ard infant formulas.Genetic Engineering of Rice
‘‘Golden rice’’ was genetically engineered to con-
tain beta-carotene, not present in standard rice, to com-
bat the widespread vitamin A deficiency and ensuing
blindness in the children of the developing world. Beta-
carotene is a vitamin A precursor that is converted to
the vitamin by enzymes of the intestinal mucosa. Vita-
min A, or retinol, is then absorbed and transported to
the tissues, including the structures of the eye. Golden
rice would thus seem to be an advance in the fight
against vitamin A deficiency in rice-eating populations.
However, there are some concerns about golden rice
and other genetically engineered foods. Genetically
engineered products have not necessarily been proven
safe, and environmental or social risks may outweigh
potential benefits that they may bring about.
Clinical trials of golden rice are needed before it is
accepted universally. Only when it is clearly deter-
mined that it can prevent vitamin A deficiency in
experimental animals, and that it presents no hazards,
will this genetically engineered food be considered safe
for use in human nutrition. Further, society itself must
also decide if genetically created foods are acceptable,
a point currently in dispute.Sequencing the Rice Genome
Since the 1960s, the ‘‘green revolution’’ has
improved the yield of rice, and now the ‘‘green genome
revolution’’ may bring about further improvements.The rice genome has now been sequenced, an achieve-
ment of great importance. The sequence of the rice
genome will provide the template for the sequencing of
other grasses (maize, barley, wheat, etc.). The genome
sequences are now known for thejaponicarice favored
in Japan and other countries with a temperate climate,
and for theindicasubspecies of rice grown in China
and most other parts of Asia. This knowledge will
permit a future harnessing of genes for disease preven-
tion, drought resistance, nutritional improvement,
and many other possible modifiable features of rice.
As a recent issue ofSciencesuggested, a ‘‘green gene
revolution’’ is needed to meet the challenge of ‘‘pop-
ulation growth, loss of arable land and climate
changes.’’Resources
BOOKS
Chang, Te-Tzu (2000). ‘‘Rice’’ inThe Cambridge World
History Food, Vol. 1. Cambridge, England: Cambridge
University Press.
Committee on Amino Acids Food and Nutrition Board
National Research Council (1974).Improvement of
Protein Nutriture. Washington, DC: National Aca-
demic of Sciences.
Davidson, A. (1999).The Oxford Companion to Food.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Davidson, S.; Passmore, R.; Brock, J. F.; and Truswell, A. S.
(1979).Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 7th edition.
New York: Livingstone, Churchill.
Pennington, J. A. T. (1998).Bowes and Church’s Food Values
of Portions Commonly Used, 17th edition. Philadelphia:
Lippincott.
PERIODICALS
Beyer, P.; Al-Babili, S.; Ye, X.; et al. (2002). ‘‘Golden Rice:
Introducing the B Carotene Bisosynthesis Pathway into
Rice Endosperm by Genetic Engineering to Defeat
Vitamin A Deficiency.’’Journal of Nutrition132:506S–
509S.
Cantral, R. P., and Reeves, T. G. (2002). ‘‘The Cereal of the
World’s Poor Takes Center Stage.’’Science296:53:William E. Connor
Sonja L. ConnorRichard Simmons diet
Definition
The Richard Simmons diet focuses on three areas:
diet, exercise, and motivation. It emphasizes a bal-
anced diet, moderate exercise, and a positive outlook.Richard Simmons diet