Improvement in the metabolic markers of prediabetic subjects due to the partial substitution of Taiken9 rice by RD43 rice in their daily diet: a randomized clinical trial.

Although RD43 rice is characterized by high amounts of undigestible starch, its potential health benefits for prediabetic individuals remain unknown. Thus, the effect of regular consumption of RD43 rice on the glycemic response, body composition, and metabolic markers was investigated in a sample of 34 participants with prediabetes (aged from 32 to 68 years) who were randomly allocated to either the treatment or the control group. The first were required to consume RD43 rice (Glycemic Index [GI] = 78) containing 14.1 g of undigestible starch daily as a substitute for two meals per day while the second were given the Taiken9 rice (GI = 98) for 12 continuous weeks. The evaluations were performed at baseline, at the end of week 6 and 12, and at follow-up conducted two weeks after the intervention had ended. The results obtained at the week 12 assessment clearly showed a significant decrease in fasting plasma glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR in the group that consumed RD43 rice. In addition, daily ingestion of RD43 rice markedly reduced body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), total fat mass, and waist circumference at both week 6 and 12 compared with the baseline. When compared with the controls, the treatment group also exhibited a significant decrease in fasting plasma insulin and HOMA-IR at week 12. However, no significant inter- or intra-group differences in lipid profiles were detected. These findings suggest that RD43 rice could be a potential staple food with the capacity to improve glycemic control and body composition in prediabetic individuals.

Well-being of Taiwanese and Singaporean college students: cross-cultural validity of a modified social cognitive model.

This study tested the cross-cultural validity of a modified version of Lent's (2004) normative well-being model. Data of 317 Taiwanese and 259 Singaporean college students were collected using the Mandarin and English versions of the survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. Satisfactory fit showed that the modified model offered a reasonable representation of the relations among the constructs and accounted for substantial amounts of the variances in academic well-being and life satisfaction for both samples. Results of the bootstrapping procedure revealed that indirect effects of personality traits and self-construal variables on well-being outcomes were mediated mostly by pathways that involved academic self-efficacy, academic goal progress, and/or academic supports. Academic well-being also filtered the effects of other predictors on life satisfaction. Multigroup structural equation modeling analyses indicated the presence of measurement equivalence across these 2 groups. However, several structural paths differed significantly between the Taiwanese and the Singaporean samples. Overall, this study provides evidence for the applicability of the modified well-being model to college students in Taiwan and Singapore and suggests that students in these 2 Asian countries might pursue and maintain their well-being through different psychological mechanisms. Practical implications for interventions and outreach programs as well as directions for future research are discussed.