Rice Bran Oil Has Multiple BenefitsAn antioxidant found in rice bran oil has been shown to lower cholesterol in rats, and may also have anti-cancer and anti-infection effects. A concentrated form of Vitamin E called tocotrienol rich fraction or TRF isolated from rice bran oil, lowered total cholesterol by 42 percent and LDL by as much as 62 percent in test animals. Normal Vitamin E has both tocopherols and tocotrienols. Earlier studies have concentrated primarily on tocopherols derived from corn, wheat and soybeans, but this new study shows tocotrienols may have stronger antioxidant effects. According to researchers: The best form of TRF comes from rice bran oil, which is contained in the outer grain hull of rice. Its properties inhibit the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme involved in cholesterol biosynthesis. The amount of TRF given to the test animals corresponds to about 560 IU for an average human. The lead researcher, Mohammad Minhajuddin, is from India, and has done studies in that country that show TRF may lower cholesterol in humans too, but the effect was not always permanent. A young boy with a genetic defect (familial hypercholesterolemia) that causes high cholesterol levels (440 mg/dl for the boy) had is levels reduced by 20% when using TRF, but after 100 weeks levels began rising again. Other animal studies suggest that TRF clears toxic substances from the liver, and reduces cancerous tumors there. Now the researchers are examining the effects of TRF on the immune system, and in particular they are looking at how it may play a role in regulating the expression of a gene called ICAM-1 on the surface of endothelial cells. |
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