A new study finds that white rice is linked to increased incidence of diabetes.

Although not a cause and effect there is a an association between the two.

n the study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston looked at four previous studies examining the link between eating white rice and the risk of Type 2 diabetes — two done in Asian countries (China and Japan) and two in Western countries (the U.S. and Australia). The researchers said they were looking to see whether the link between eating white rice and developing diabetes was stronger among people in Asia, who tend to eat more white rice than Westerners.

The studies, which ranged in length from four to 22 years, included a total of about 352,000 participants; none had diabetes at the start. Over the course of the studies, 13,284 people developed diabetes.