Diet Therapy Using a Small Rice Bowl among Japanese Men with Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness at 1 and 3 months of using a smaller rice bowl for diet therapy among Japanese men with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted at a medical clinic in Japan. The participants were men with type 2 diabetes mellitus, aged 20–80 years, with glycosylated hemoglobin <8.5%, and who ate rice one or more times per day at home. The intervention group (36 men) received a small rice bowl from which to eat the usual diet therapy, and the control group (38 men) received only the usual diet therapy. RESULTS: The changes in weight and body mass index among the intervention group at 1 month were significantly higher than those in the control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups at 3 months. CONCLUSION: The effects of using a small rice bowl were minor and short-term.