Stop shovelling so much white rice unto your plate. As it turns out, white rice is a greater cause of diabetes than sugar-filled soft drinks. According to The Straits Times, Health Promotion Board chief executive Zee Yoong Kang identified white rice as a top concern when it comes to diabetes. Although obesity and sugary drinks are the usual causes for Caucasians, Asians are actually more prone to diabetes, and starchy white rice can fill our bodies with an excess of blood sugar and heighten our risk of the disease.