One of the oils to gain popularity in India in recent times is Rice Bran oil. While Rice Bran oil has been available for sometime, the technology to produce good quality edible grade Rice Bran oil has only come off late. This has been possible due to the technology provided by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India.
Rice Bran Oil is extracted from Rice Bran which is very healthy. In olden days our forefathers used to have brown rice which had great nutrition value but in modern times we prefer polished rice. In fact various studies have shown that stabilised Rice Bran provides a rich source of nutrition and also has a very promising role to play in not only cardiac care but also diabetes and other ailments.

Rice Bran oil has a MUFA-PUFA ratio close to the AHA recommendation. However, due to natural variation at times it can exceed the AHA norm. This is where the blend plays a strong role. Studies at the National Institute of Nutrition as well as international research have shown that the blend plays a higher synergistic role than a single oil.
Rice Bran oil has some unique ingredients like oryzanol, tocotrienols and squalene in addition to tocopherol. Because of these ingredients and their functions it has been called the Heart Oil in Japan. In fact doctors in India are calling it the Indian answer to olive oil. Even olive oil does not have such a rich array of micro nutrients. What do these nutrients do ?
Oryzanol

1. Reduces cholesterol and triglycerides.

Also supposed to have:
2.Anti-carcinogenic property.
3. Anti itching effect.
4. Anti-dandruff effect.

Tocotrienols & Tocopherol
1. Act as antioxidants and improve shelf life of the product.
2. Also act as antioxidants in vitro, thereby protecting against free radicles, which are known to be carcinogenic.
3. Prevent the LDL oxidation in vitro and retard progression of atherosclerosis.
4. Tocotrienols have been shown to reduce the levels of plasma cholesterol.

Squalene
1. Maintains the tone of the skin.

This is why in the USA it is known as a Health Oil and sells for more than Rs 600 per litre. In India we are lucky that it is available at such reasonable prices.

Back