LINDELL BEACH, B.C. – Scientists have discovered that black rice bran may help soothe inflammation involved in allergies and asthma.
A spoonful of bran from this little-known rice variety is believed to contain more health-promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries.
Bran, the outer husk of the rice grain, is removed during the processing of brown rice to produce the familiar white rice. It is a rich source of bioactive secondary metabolites and has been shown to perform a number of functions that promote health.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher Mendell Friedman wrote in theJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistrythat healthpromoting qualities “include cholesterol reduction in plasma and liver, inhibition of platelet aggregation, prevention of ulcer formation and inhibition of cancer cell invasion.”
He said a Chinese study found that dietary black rice fractions improved cardiovascular risk factors in humans.
According to a news release from the American Chemical Society, scientists tested the effects of black rice bran on skin inflammation in laboratory mice.
The extract reduced inflammation by about 32 percent compared to control animals when injected into mice and also decreased production of substances known to promote inflammation.
Brown rice bran extract did not have these effects.
The scientists fed the mice a diet with 10 percent black rice bran and discovered that it reduced swelling associated with allergic contact dermatitis, a common kind of skin irritation.
They wrote that the findings “further demonstrate the potential value of black rice bran as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic food ingredient and possibly also as a therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with chronic inflammation.”
The studies chemically induced inflammation in the skin of mouse ears so that the skin swelled and thickened within 24 hours and persisted for 72 hours.
However, the edema was significantly inhibited by an injection of the black rice bran extract.
The results showed that oral feeding of a standard mice diet supplemented with 10 percent black rice bran significantly suppressed ear swelling compared to mice fed their routine diet without the bran additive.
However, a mice diet with 10 percent brown rice bran not only failed to suppress the hypersensitivity but induced a slight increase in swelling.
The chemical composition of black rice bran is significantly different from brown rice bran.
“Knowledge of the composition of the extracts may not permit conclusions as to which compound or which combination of compounds induces the anti-inflammatory effect,” Friedman wrote.
“One would have to isolate and test each compound individually in the experiments. This aspect awaits further study.”
He said prolonged inflammation is associated with the development of infections, allergies, atherosclerosis, heart disease and cancer, which means it would be valuable to look at the potential of black rice bran-containing foods to prevent and treat these disorders.
History of rice
•It is often thought of as a hot climate crop but is descended from a wild grass first cultivated in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas and the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy and Mekong rivers. The earliest remains of rice were discovered in the central Yangtze Valley around 6500 BC. The grain was first planted in North America in 1694.
•Thai black rice, also known as japonica rice, has been grown for centuries in Thailand and is one of the more recent varieties to become popular in the western world.
•It is sticky and shiny and is often used in desserts in Thailand. Its dark colour leaches into the cooking water, turning it purple.
•Black rice has less sugar but is rich in iron, high in fibre and contains more vitamin E antioxidants. Its bran has potential as an ingredient in breakfast cereals, cakes, cookies and muffins.
