While we have heard a lot about oat or wheat bran in recent years, little is known about rice bran. The bran is formed by the outermost layers of the grain, specifically the pericarp, testa and aleurone, which are eliminated in the refining process of white rice for human consumption. Although rice bran is slowly entering the Spanish market, it has been very popular in Asian countries or North America for years in many presentations ranging from oil to flours that are used as ingredients in traditional recipes.
But what makes it so interesting for health? In rice bran, a multitude of functional substances are naturally present in large quantities, such as ferulic acid, a mixture of molecules called gamma oryzanol, vitamin E, phytosterols or polyunsaturated fatty acids, among others. These molecules have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering and antidiabetic properties when consumed in small amounts on a frequent basis.
From the Department of Pharmacology of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Seville, the “Cardiovascular Pharmacology” group has been working for years to discover the beneficial properties of rice bran for cardiovascular health. Specifically, the studies focus on an enzymatic extract of rice bran , which adds additional advantages to those previously mentioned, since the active compounds are found in a higher concentration and they also protect against rancidity, which is characteristic in other preparations. .
The studies of this research group have been developed in genetic models of rodents with a tendency to obesity and hypertension or the development of atherosclerosis due to the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood. Supplementation of the diet of these animals with the extract was able to prevent excessive weight gain and the development of hypertension, as well as to improve the lipid profile, insulin resistance, vascular function and the development of atherosclerosis. In addition, a global improvement was observed in the pro-inflammatory state and oxidative stress, which are key pieces that accelerate the onset and development of any pathology of the cardiovascular system.
So far, only studies in animal models are available, but since the amount that a human would have to consume to achieve these benefits would be between 5 and 25 grams per day (which provide the same calories as a small bowl of cereal breakfast), the next step would be to reproduce these results in humans.
Cristina Pérez Ternero is a researcher at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville. Article written in collaboration with the UCC + i of the University of Seville.
