Rice bran oil is a very common oil in Asian countries like India, China and Japan. It is extracted from the other layer of a rice grain that is the bran. Rice bran is a by-product of rice milling and has potential health benefits.
• It contains beneficial nutrients: 14ml of rice bran oil provides 14g of fat and 120 calories. It contains higher amounts of heart-healthy unsaturated fats along with vitamin E, oryzanol, tocotrienols and plant sterols which provide various health benefits.
• Supports healthy blood sugar levels: Its consumption helps to improve insulin resistance.
• Promotes heart health: It has cholesterol-lowering effects as it helps to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and helps to boost HDL (good) cholesterol. Rice bran oil consists of plant sterols which help in improving our cholesterol levels.
• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects: Oryzanol helps with the anti-inflammatory effect and particularly on the blood vessels and heart membrane. Tocotrienols also help to inhibit inflammation. Rice bran oil has a good antioxidant capacity that helps to fight oxidative stress.
• Anti-cancer effects: Tocotrienols in rice bran oil helps with the anticancer effects as it is able to suppress various cancer cells.
• Fights bad breath: Oil pulling with rice bran oil helps to reduce bad breath.
• Helps to enhance immunity: The oryzanol in rice bran oil is responsible for improving our immune response.
• Boost skin health: The antioxidants in rice bran oil help to support skin health.
Rice bran oil can be easily added to your daily diet as it has a high smoke point and its beneficial compounds like tocotrienols and oryzanol are preserved when cooked. Its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer effects along with its good nutrient profile make it a good cooking oil that can be consumed without hesitation. It has a mild flavour so can be used for dressings, stir-fries, soups, etc.
References :
Hamid, A. A., Dek, M. S., Tan, C. P., Zainudin, M. A., & Fang, E. K. (2014). Changes of Major Antioxidant Compounds and Radical Scavenging Activity of Palm Oil and Rice Bran Oil during Deep-Frying. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 3(3), 502–515. https://doi.org/
Sohail, M., Rakha, A., Butt, M. S., Iqbal, M. J., & Rashid, S. (2017). Rice bran nutraceutics: A comprehensive review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 57(17), 3771–3780. https://doi.org/
Shen, J., Yang, T., Xu, Y., Luo, Y., Zhong, X., Shi, L., Hu, T., Guo, T., Nie, Y., Luo, F., & Lin, Q. (2018). δ-Tocotrienol, Isolated from Rice Bran, Exerts an Anti-Inflammatory Effect via MAPKs and PPARs Signaling Pathways in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Macrophages. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(10), 3022. https://doi.org/