Rice flour

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and appetite⁴

  In people, noodles made with RD43 rice flour lowered blood sugar and made eaters feel fuller.

• Open question

  Bread texture and protein⁵

  Bread made with rice flour had a sandy texture at higher levels, but its protein quality went up.

• Benefit

  Iron and zinc absorption⁶

  In children, rice flour fortified with iron and zinc plus Na2EDTA helped their bodies absorb more of both minerals.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and stomach emptying¹¹

  In animal studies, rice flour with added oat beta-glucan and sea buckthorn flavonoids slowed stomach emptying and blood sugar rise.

• Benefit

  Iron uptake from food¹²

  Ferrous gluconate in rice flour let the body take in more iron than ferrous fumarate.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar response¹³

  After six months, stored rice flour broke down more slowly, which may mean a slower rise in blood sugar.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Food allergy in babies⁷

  A baby had sudden allergic reactions after eating rice flour, even though rice flour is usually thought to be safe for allergies.

How it’s made and used

• Plant-based yogurt taste³

  In taste tests, people preferred rice flour yogurt made from white rice over brown rice versions.

• Gluten content comparison⁸

  Rice flour breading had almost no gluten, while wheat breading contained a lot.

• Gluten-free bread quality⁹

  In tests, adding 66–70°C water to rice flour improved gluten-free bread’s rise and softness.

• Bread aroma and texture¹⁰

  In breads made with rice flour, drying yeasts let them be stored, and co-fermenting changed aroma and made some loaves harder.

• Softer dumplings, slower digestion¹⁴

  Adding transglutaminase to glutinous rice flour made sweet dumplings softer and slower to digest.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.