Is the low-sugar rice cooker a black technology or an IQ tax?

　　Low-sugar rice cookers can only reduce the sugar content of rice to a certain extent, but this is completely two concepts with lowering human blood sugar.

Consumers must be especially careful if there are related products whose selling point is to lower blood sugar.

If the hypoglycemic rate claimed by the product is too high, or it is promoted to reduce the starch rate that has little to do with the actual core indicators of hypoglycemic effect, consumers also need to be cautious. The functional effects of low-sugar rice cookers should be viewed scientifically, and low-sugar rice must be eaten clearly. It cannot be used as the main way to lower blood sugar, especially as a substitute for drugs.

　　◎Reporter Zhang Yun

　　"If you don't lose weight in spring, you will be sad in summer." At this time of year, weight loss is put on the agenda by beauty lovers.

Recently, the low-sugar rice cooker, known as the "weight loss tool" and "hyperglycemic artifact", has been popular on e-commerce platforms, and its sales have been very impressive.

The product advertisement claims that this type of rice cooker can separate all or part of the starch contained in the rice through the three steps of "melting, separating, and simmering" or relying on artificial intelligence technology to reduce the sugar content by about 50%, and then steam it. The so-called low-sugar rice.

In addition, the product advertisement also claims that this type of rice cooker can increase the content of magnesium, zinc, potassium, calcium and other elements in the rice, and even add a substance called "highly resistant starch" to the rice.

　　In the evaluation area of ​​the product, many buyers said that eating low-sugar rice can achieve the effect of "weight loss" and "lowering blood sugar"... So, is this "cooking artifact" really such a miraculous effect?

Is it black technology or an IQ tax?

In this regard, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts.

　　Reducing the sugar content of rice does not mean lowering blood sugar

　　Searching for "low-sugar rice cooker" on a large domestic e-commerce platform, hundreds of products with prices ranging from 300 yuan to more than 2,000 yuan appeared in the interface, and most of them sold well.

A reporter from Science and Technology Daily found that although these products have slightly different functions and principles, their selling points are "low sugar, separated starch, and lower blood sugar."

So, how does this type of rice cooker steam low-sugar rice?

Can this kind of rice cooker really lower blood sugar?

　　Li Yuanyuan, the first batch of registered dietitians in China, said in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily that rice is a starchy food, and starch is a polymer carbohydrate that is formed by polymerization of glucose molecules. It is the main source of sugar in rice.

Among them, starch is divided into two types: one is amylopectin, which is easily infiltrated by water, is easily digested and absorbed by the human body, and has a greater impact on human blood sugar; the other is not easily infiltrated by water, and the digestion and absorption speed of the human body is slow, which is harmful to the human body. Blood sugar affects amylose, which is relatively small.

　　"The low-sugar rice cooker is to separate the amylopectin from the rice." Li Yuanyuan said. The process of steaming low-sugar rice in this type of rice cooker is relatively simple. It is to cook the rice until half cooked, then separate the rice soup from the rice through a filter, and then separate the separated rice. Steam it into rice while straining the rice soup.

　　"When rice is cooked, part of the amylopectin will be dissolved in the water. If the water is filtered out, the amylopectin will also disappear. There will be amylose and residual amylopectin in the rice. As for whether It is impossible to determine if it reaches the 50% sugar reduction mentioned in the advertisement. This is because, firstly, the content of amylopectin in different rice is very different, and secondly, the performance of different rice cookers is also very different." Li Yuanyuan explained.

　　In 2020, the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province (hereinafter referred to as the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province) conducted a comparative test of 20 different brands of low-sugar rice cookers.

The results showed that compared with ordinary rice, the content of reducing sugars in the rice steamed from 18 samples at the low-sugar stall was reduced to varying degrees.

Reducing sugars refer to sugars with reducing properties, such as glucose, fructose, galactose, lactose and so on.

Therefore, the test results show that most low-sugar rice cookers can reduce the content of sugars in rice.

　　However, it is worth noting that the comparative test did not test the blood sugar of people after eating low-sugar rice. That is, although the above-mentioned low-sugar rice cooker can reduce the content of reducing sugar in rice to varying degrees, it does not mean that eating low-sugar rice can directly Hypoglycemic.

　　Therefore, the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province reminded consumers that the product can only reduce the sugar content in rice to a certain extent, but this is completely different from reducing human blood sugar.

Consumers must be especially careful if there are related products whose selling point is to lower blood sugar.

If the hypoglycemic rate claimed by the product is too high, or it is promoted to reduce the starch rate that has little to do with the actual core indicators of hypoglycemic effect, consumers also need to be cautious. The functional effects of low-sugar rice cookers should be viewed scientifically, and low-sugar rice must be eaten clearly. It cannot be used as the main way to lower blood sugar, especially as a substitute for drugs.

　　Straining out the rice soup also takes away beneficial substances

　　In addition, can the low-sugar rice cooker really increase the content of magnesium, zinc, potassium, calcium and other elements in the rice, as the advertisement says, and add a substance called high-resistant starch to the rice?

　　In this regard, Li Yuanyuan said that theoretically, after the rice soup is filtered, not only the sugar in the rice is reduced, but the actual content of some of the proteins, minerals and vitamins that are beneficial to the human body will also decrease, such as vitamin B1. .

"Therefore, the content of magnesium, zinc, potassium, calcium and other elements in the rice will also be reduced, and the possibility of improvement is not very large." She said.

　　The highly resistant starch mentioned in the advertisement is one of the resistant starches. This starch cannot be broken down into glucose by amylase, that is, it is not easily absorbed by the human body. Its caloric value is a little lower than that of digestible starch. , So it is favored by many slim people.

It is often regarded as dietary fiber, and it is contained in many grains and potatoes.

During the cooking process of rice, part of the amylose may be converted into resistant starch.

　　"After filtering out the rice soup, the low-sugar rice cooker will reduce the content of amylopectin in the rice, which will increase the proportion of amylose and resistant starch. And the greater the proportion of amylose in rice, the more It will be more conducive to the production of resistant starch. However, the production of resistant starch is not only affected by the proportion of amylose, but also by cooking temperature, starch-protein interaction, starch-lipid interaction, etc. The influence of factors. When steaming rice in a home environment, the probability of amylose being converted into resistant starch is not great, and the content of resistant starch in low-sugar rice is not too much." Li Yuanyuan said.

　　Li Yuanyuan especially emphasized that although resistant starch has low calories and has a certain effect on blood sugar control, the amount is also very important for it to work.

Studies have shown that if you want to control blood sugar, the intake of resistant starch must account for at least 14% of the total dietary intake of starch. Below this amount, the effect is minimal.

And it is difficult to meet this standard just by eating low-sugar rice.

　　Instead of talking about "sugar" color change, it is better to match staple foods reasonably

　　"The popularity of low-sugar rice cookers has something to do with the trend of'sugar quitting' on the Internet in recent years." Li Yuanyuan said.

　　In recent years, "abstaining sugar" has become a popular trend on the Internet, and a large number of articles have been "popularizing science" to people: Only by refusing to take in all sugars can you lose weight and maintain health.

Rice is regarded by some slim people as "sugar-rich people", which makes people avoid it. Many celebrities have not even eaten a grain of rice for 20 to 30 years.

　　"The main carbohydrate substance in rice-starch, which is digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, will be converted into glucose, which will lead to an increase in human blood sugar." Li Yuanyuan said that in order to further explain the principle of sugar increase in rice, I have to mention the GI value (glycemic index), which is an indicator that reflects the degree of blood sugar increase caused by food.

Since the starch in rice is easily digested and absorbed, it will cause the human blood sugar to rise rapidly, so rice is a high GI food.

According to data, the GI value of white rice is usually 85, while low-sugar rice only reduces some of the starch, which is unlikely to change it from a high-GI food to a low-GI food.

　　Although rice is at the forefront of high GI food rankings, Li Yuanyuan does not recommend that everyone not eat rice.

"For ordinary people, it is unscientific and unhealthy to completely fast foods such as rice. As sugar is an important energy substance for many human organs, such as the brain, skipping rice and other staple foods may lead to insufficient brain energy supply. , There are problems such as memory decline, endocrine disorders, fatigue, and decreased resistance. Let’s not talk about “sugar” discoloration. Appropriate intake of starch in the human body is good for maintaining blood sugar stability and ensuring brain energy supply.” She Say.

　　"Of course, the staple food should not be too refined. We must pay attention to the combination of thickness and fineness." Li Yuanyuan suggested that, especially for diabetics and obese people, we should pay attention to a reasonable diet, and should appropriately reduce the intake of foods that increase sugar fast, such as milled rice. Increase the intake of whole grains, miscellaneous beans, potatoes and other foods, so that blood sugar can naturally stabilize, and it is also conducive to controlling the rate of blood sugar rise after meals.

In addition, eating more whole grains, grains and other foods will not only help control blood sugar and weight, but also increase the intake of dietary fiber, minerals and B vitamins.