Diet makes a critical difference when it comes to controlling your blood sugar if you have diabetes. Many people enjoy the crispy crunch of rice cakes, and they provide a range of nutrition as well -- this food can benefit individuals with diabetes in many ways. Speak to your health care provider about whether rice cakes are suitable for your diabetes diet.
Glycemic Index
Rice cakes have a glycemic index score of 80, which is relatively high. That does not mean people with diabetes cannot consume this snack food, however. If your blood sugar tests low, you may need a food that raises your blood sugar quickly -- a rice cake is a good option in that case. Also, DiabetesNet.com recommends consuming foods high on the glycemic index scale, such as rice cakes, after a hard workout.
Manganese
Eating a rice cake introduces 0.3 mg of manganese into your diet. Women require 1.8 mg per day, and men need 2.3 mg daily. The University of Maryland Medical Center website indicates that many people with diabetes have low manganese levels in their blood, but no evidence exists to confirm that manganese triggers diabetes. Additionally, your body uses manganese to trigger collagen production, which plays a role in wound healing -- diabetics with uncontrolled or high glucose levels are prone to slower healing and infections, which makes rice cakes a good food choice to help avoid complications from cuts and abrasions.
Niacin
One rice cake contributes a small quantity niacin to your diet -- 0.7 mg. Niacin is important for people with diabetes, particularly type-2 diabetes. A study published in the March 2011 issue of the journal "Atherosclerosis" followed type 2 diabetics over a 2 week period. The patients who were given 1,500 mg of niacin each day increased their HDL, or "good" cholesterol; researchers theorize that this may decrease the risk of heart problems in diabetics. This level of niacin intake is quite high, though -- the daily recommended intake of this vitamin stands at 14 to 16 mg for adults.
Selenium
Include a rice cake in your diet, and you get 2.2 mcg of selenium each day. Diabetics may hear a variety of things about selenium in relation to diabetes, both good and bad. Evidence available in the May 2009 edition of "Environmental Health Perspectives" correlates high selenium intake with the development of diabetes. On the other hand, research in the March 2010 "Nutrition and Metabolism" suggests that selenium may benefit older men with diabetes. Rice cakes may be a good choice for your diet if you are a male with this condition.
References
- DiabetesNet.com; Glycemic Index; December 2010
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Snacks, Rice Cakes, Brown Rice, Plain
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Manganese; June 2009
- Linus Pauling Institute; Manganese; J. Higdon, Ph.D., et al.; March 2010
- National Federation of the Blind; Diabetes and Wounds: Love the Skin You're In; B. Williams
- "Atherosclerosis"; Niacin Results in Reduced Monocyte Adhesion in Patients With Type 2 Diabets Mellitus; S. Tavintharan, et al.; March 2011
