Pixelationz: Brown Rice

Brief History 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. Although typically viewed as a side dish in Western nations, rice provides up to half the calories in a typical daily diet in many Asian countries. Most of the world’s rice is grown in Asia. There are more than 8,000 varieties of rice.

Nutrients in Brown Rice

The health benefits of brown rice are legion. 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.

NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Rice, brown, long-grain, raw	Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,548 kJ (370 kcal)
* Carbohydrates	77.24 g
Dietary fiber	3.5 g
* Fat	2.92 g
* Protein	7.94 g
Thiamine (Vit. B₁)	0.401 mg
Riboflavin (Vit. B₂)	0.093 mg
Niacin (Vit. B₃)	5.091 mg
Pantothenic acid (B₅)	1.493 mg
* Vitamin B₆	0.509 mg
* Folate (Vit. B₉)	20 mg
* Calcium	23 mg
* Iron	1.47 mg
* Magnesium	143 mg
Phosphorus	333 mg
Potassium	223 mg
Zinc	2.02 mg
Manganese	3.743 mg
Sodium	7 mg
A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in the Nutrition Database where this food can also be added to a meal planner.

Brown Rice for 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. Therice 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.

Brown Rice for 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.

Researchers have found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, eating two or more servings of brown rice per week was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers estimated that replacing 50 grams of white rice (just one third of a typical daily serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower risk of type 2 diabetes by 16%.

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.

Brown Rice for 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.

Brown Rice for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Research suggests that subaleurone components in a layer of tissue surrounding grains of brown rice may work against angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is an endocrine protein and a known culprit in the development of high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. Researchers found that subaleurone components that were selected by an ethyl acetate extraction inhibited angiotensin II activity in the cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. This suggests that the subaleurone layer of rice offers protection against high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

Glycemic Index of Brown Rice

In a study to determine the estimated glycemic index of various foods, it was concluded that brown rice has a GI of 55.

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
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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.
11. Qi Sun, et al. White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women. Arch Intern Med, 2010; 170 (11): 961-969
12. Carol Ann Rinzler, The New Complete Book of Food. A Nutritional, Medical, and Culinary Guide.
13. Foster-Powell K, Holt SH, Brand-Miller JC. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jul;76(1):5-56. PMID: 12081815