Not a dietitian but I consider myself to be an informed glutton … IIRC white rice has a very low glycemic index, and brown rice isn’t that much of an improvement. Great for carb addicts like myself, lousy for diabetics or pre-diabetics.
White rice does have two significant advantages for subsistence farmers … it keeps for years when properly stored (much longer than brown rice) and it cooks quickly so less scarce/expensive cooking fuel is needed.
