The Health Benefits of Brown Rice

The earliest record of rice being cultivated in China date back to 7000 B.C.E., and rice was exclusive to Asia before travelers brought it into ancient Greece.

Health benefits of brown rice include better-controlled blood glucose levels in diabetes type 2, the ability to lower cholesterol and to help prevent cancer.

Health Benefits of Brown Rice

• Nutrients in Brown Rice

  Brown rice is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese, and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6. Brown rice is a good source of dietary fiber, protein, and gamma-oryzanol. White rice is brown rice that has had essential nutrients removed when processed in order to make it easier and faster to cook, and to give it a longer shelf life. This is accomplished by removing the bran, and with it, minerals and vitamins that are necessary in our diet. A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in our Nutrient Database.

• Cholesterol Reduction

  In the polishing process the rice bran oil is removed, which without the protective layer removed in the initial stages of processing, will quickly become rancid. The rice bran oil, which is present only in brown rice, contains gamma-oryzanol, a compound with the ability to lower cholesterol.
  
  In a study to determine the ability of brown rice bran's fiber apart from its fatty acid composition to lower cholesterol, it was concluded that defatted rice bran did not lower lipid concentrations. Total cholesterol was significantly lower with consumption of a diet containing rice bran oil. The rice bran oil diet decreased LDL cholesterol by 7%, whereas HDL cholesterol was unchanged. The conclusion of this study was that rice bran oil, not the fiber in brown rice, lowers cholesterol.
  
  Use of rice bran oil as the main cooking oil has been shown to significantly reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A study has shown that the use of rice bran oil significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with sunflower oil.

• Type 2 Diabetes

  The postprandial blood glucose response of ten healthy and nine diabetes type 2 volunteers to brown rice was compared to milled rice from the same batch and variety. The total sugar released in vitro was 23.7% lower in brown rice than in milled rice. In healthy volunteers, the glycemic area and glycemic index were, respectively, 19.8% and 12.1% lower (p < 0.05) in brown rice than milled rice, while in diabetes type 2 volunteers, the respective values were 35.2% and 35.6% lower. The effect was partly due to the higher amounts of phytic acid, polyphenols, dietary fiber and oil in brown compared to milled rice and the difference in some physicochemical properties of the rice samples such as minimum cooking time and degree of gelatinisation. The study concluded that brown rice is more beneficial for diabetes type 2 and hyperglycemic individuals than milled rice.
  
  Pre-germinated brown rice is made by soaking brown rice kernels in water to germinate. Blood concentrations of fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, serum total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels have been shown to favorably improve on a pre-germinated brown rice diet, suggesting that diets including pre-germinated brown rice may be useful to control blood glucose levels in diabetes type 2.

• Cancer Prevention

  Inositol hexaphosphate, a naturally occurring molecule found in high-fiber foods such as brown rice, is a compound that has been shown to demonstrate cancer prevention properties. Inositol hexaphosphate holds great promise in strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
  
  Pancreatic cancer is an extremely virulent form of cancer with few effective treatments. An in vitro study has suggested that inositol hexaphosphate may be a therapy for treatment of pancreatic cancer.

References:
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
4. Vucenik I, Shamsuddin AM. Cancer inhibition by inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) and inositol: from laboratory to clinic. J Nutr. 2003 Nov;133(11 Suppl 1):3778S-3784S. PMID: 14608114.
5. McMillan B, Riggs DR, Jackson BJ, Cunningham C, McFadden DW. Dietary influence on pancreatic cancer growth by catechin and inositol hexaphosphate. J Surg Res. 2007 Jul;141(1):115-9. PMID: 17574044.
6. Inositol hexaphosphate, a natural substance found in whole kernel corn and brown rice, activates natural killer cell function - inhibits cancer. Posit Health News. 1998 Fall;(No 17):23-5. PMID: 11366552.
7.Panlasigui LN, Thompson LU. Blood glucose lowering effects of brown rice in normal and diabetic subjects. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2006 May-Jun;57(3-4):151-8. PMID: 17127465.
8. Kuriyan R, Gopinath N, Vaz M, Kurpad AV. Use of rice bran oil in patients with hyperlipidaemia. Natl Med J India. 2005 Nov-Dec;18(6):292-6. PMID: 16483027.
9. Most MM, Tulley R, Morales S, Lefevre M. Rice bran oil, not fiber, lowers cholesterol in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):64-8. PMID: 15640461.
10. Hsu TF, Kise M, Wang MF, Ito Y, Yang MD, Aoto H, Yoshihara R, Yokoyama J, Kunii D, Yamamoto S. Effects of pre-germinated brown rice on blood glucose and lipid levels in free-living patients with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2008 Apr;54(2):163-8. PMID: 18490847.

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