Health Assessment of Low Glycaemic Index - High Protein Rice to Enhance Glycemic Control Through Nutrition (HARVEST)
September 11, 2026 updated by: Johan Eriksson, Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Singapore
Health Assessment of Low Glycaemic Index - High Protein Rice to Enhance Glycemic Control Through Nutrition (HARVEST) Study
Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) represents a critical public health challenge in Singapore, with prevalence projected to reach one million residents by 2050. This epidemic is largely driven by a distinct "Asian phenotype" characterized by reduced insulin secretion capacity even at lower BMIs and a diet heavily centered on high-glycemic index (GI) white rice. While brown rice offers superior nutritional benefits, its global and local adoption remains low due to entrenched cultural preferences, shorter shelf life, and sensory barriers.
While the link between high-GI carbohydrates and metabolic dysfunction is well-documented, there is limited clinical evidence on the effects of "functional" white rice varieties specifically those engineered to combine low GI properties with significantly enhanced protein content on long-term glycemic control, metabolic and gut microbiome health in Asian populations. The importance of this research lies in its evaluation of a culturally seamless substitution strategy. By replacing conventional white rice with Low-GI (LGI) and High-Protein Low-GI (LGI-HP) varieties, the HARVEST study addresses the metabolic burden of prediabetes without requiring major behavioral shifts. The findings will provide vital mechanistic insights into glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and microbial dysbiosis, to provide the evidence based for nutritional strategies for T2D prevention and management.
Study Overview
Status
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
- To evaluate the efficacy of a 16-week intervention with functional rice varieties (LGI, LGI-HP) on chronic glycaemic management in Singaporean adults with prediabetes. It is hypothesized that dietary replacement of habitual rice with functional varieties can significantly improve metabolic health compared to the high-GI (HGI) control group
- To compare the postprandial glucose and insulin responses of LGI, LGI-HP and HGI rice under standardized acute meal testing using continuous glucose monitoring. It is hypothesized that postprandial glucose excursions and glycemic variability will be significantly attenuatated in the functional rice groups compared to the HGI group
- To characterise longitudinal shifts in gut microbiota composition and identify mechanistic correlations between microbial changes and glucose metabolism. It is hypothesized that long term consumption of functional rice will promote beneficial shift in the gut microbiome which are associated with improved glucose homeostasis.
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Estimated)
225
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Contact
- Name: Johan G. Eriksson, MD
- Phone Number: +65 6407 0100
- Email: obgjge@nus.edu.sg
Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Males or females, aged 40 to 65 years old
- Chinese, Malay or Indian
- Body Mass Index between 23.0 - 32.0 kg/m2
- Prediabetes profile as per fasting plasma glucose (≤ 6.9 mmol/L) and HbA1c level (5.7% - 6.4%)
- Habitually consuming about 3 to 5 servings of polished white rice per day
- No known food allergies and intolerance to food provided as part of study procedures
- Proficient in English language
- Willing to comply to study procedures and provide written consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosed with Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus/ OGTT failure during screening visit
- History or current diagnosis of cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, haematological, hepatitis (hepatitis B and C), cancers (except basal cell carcinoma), chronic kidney disease or other medical conditions which may affect study outcomes, as assessed by study team
- Having chronic medication (eg: metformin, oral corticosteroids etc), and/or supplements that may influence glycaemic management and other study outcomes, as assessed by study team
- History of bariatric surgery
- Significant weight change (± 5 % body weight) during the last 3 months
- Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning pregnancy
- Drug abuse within the last 5 years
- Excessive alcohol consumption > 2 servings per day
- Smoking in the last 1 year
- Following any special diet(s) which may interfere with study outcomes (eg: Ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, calorie-deficit)
- Major change in physical activity and/or dietary habits in the last 3 months
- Use of oral antibiotics in the last 3 months
- Participation in other intervention studies, which may affect study outcomes as assessed by study team
- Staff of IHDP and SIFBI in A*STAR
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Triple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: High glycaemic index rice (HGI)
Participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of HGI rice while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
Single-blinded, 16 week parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 225 participants with prediabetes.
Participants are randomized into one of three arms to consume either high glycaemic index rice (HGI), low glycaemic index rice (LGI), or low glycaemic index high protein rice (LGI-HP).
In each arm (n = 75), participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of the assigned rice group while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
|
Experimental: Low glycaemic index rice (LGI)
Participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of LGI rice while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
Single-blinded, 16 week parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 225 participants with prediabetes.
Participants are randomized into one of three arms to consume either high glycaemic index rice (HGI), low glycaemic index rice (LGI), or low glycaemic index high protein rice (LGI-HP).
In each arm (n = 75), participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of the assigned rice group while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
|
Experimental: Low glycaemic index high protein rice (LGI-HP)
Participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of LGI-HP rice while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
Single-blinded, 16 week parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 225 participants with prediabetes.
Participants are randomized into one of three arms to consume either high glycaemic index rice (HGI), low glycaemic index rice (LGI), or low glycaemic index high protein rice (LGI-HP).
In each arm (n = 75), participants will replace their habitual rice consumption with 4 servings (equivalent to approximately 2 bowls or ~400 g of cooked rice) per day of the assigned rice group while keeping other dietary components consistent.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Change in Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
To evaluate the efficacy of a 16-week intervention with functional rice varieties on chronic glycaemic management in Singaporean adults with prediabetes, as measured by change in Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
|
16 weeks
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Johan G. Eriksson, MD, A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP)
Publications and helpful links
The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.
General Publications
- Camps SG, Kaur B, Lim J, Loo YT, Pang E, Ng T, Henry CJ. Improved Glycemic Control and Variability: Application of Healthy Ingredients in Asian Staples. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 3;13(9):3102. doi: 10.3390/nu13093102.
- Kaur B, Koh M, Ponnalagu S, Henry CJ. Postprandial blood glucose response: does the glycaemic index (GI) value matter even in the low GI range? Nutr Diabetes. 2020 May 1;10(1):15. doi: 10.1038/s41387-020-0118-5.
- Toh DWK, Fu AS, Mehta KA, Lam NYL, Haldar S, Henry CJ. Plant-Based Meat Analogs and Their Effects on Cardiometabolic Health: An 8-Week Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Plant-Based Meat Analogs With Their Corresponding Animal-Based Foods. Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Jun;119(6):1405-1416. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.04.006. Epub 2024 Apr 8.
- Toh DWK, Ponnalagu S, Camps SG, Lim J, Koh MXN, Henry CJ. Higher adiposity predicts greater intra-individual inconsistencies in postprandial glycemic measurements-an analysis of three randomized controlled trials in Asian populations. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2024 Sep;78(9):788-795. doi: 10.1038/s41430-024-01457-1. Epub 2024 Jun 12.
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
October 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
April 30, 2029
Study Completion (Estimated)
April 30, 2029
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
June 17, 2026
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
June 17, 2026
First Posted (Actual)
June 23, 2026
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
September 15, 2026
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 11, 2026
Last Verified
September 1, 2026
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- HARVEST
- NNF25SA0112673 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Novo Nordisk Foundation)
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
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