A myriad of benefits of rice bran oil for health

You probably only know bran as animal feed. But apparently, bran can also be used for humans when processed into oil. Bran oil is rich in antioxidants and good fats that are beneficial to health, it also does not contain substances that trigger allergic reactions so it is safe for all people to use. So, what are the benefits of this vegetable oil, which has another name, rice bran oil?

How do you make bran oil?

Rice bran oil, aka rice bran oil, is a vegetable oil that is produced from the extraction process of rice bran. The product from this extraction is separated from the solvent by evaporation. Furthermore, the extracted bran oil will be purified to remove wax compounds, dyes, and odors so that the oil is ready to use.

Rice bran oil is commonly used as a substitute for cooking oil, but is also often processed into margarine or butter.

What are the health benefits of rice bran oil?

1. Rich in antioxidants

Rice bran oil contains natural antioxidants, namely tocopherols, tocotrienols, and oryzanols which work against free radicals in the body. Free radicals are the cause of various chronic diseases, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, and even cancer.

2. Increase endurance

Oryzanol is a very powerful antioxidant and is available in large quantities in bran oil. Oryzanol and other phytochemicals make bran oil effective in boosting the body's immune system to ward off various diseases.

Not surprisingly, rice brain oil is often processed into immune supplements.

3. Lowering bad LDL cholesterol

Reporting from the Livestrong page, a study published in the Journal of Indian Medicine reports that bran oil can help lower bad LDL cholesterol levels.

The research was conducted on people who had high cholesterol and were asked to consume 80% of bran oil and 20% sunflower mint for 3 months. The results showed that LDL levels decreased significantly.

This is thought to be closely related to the antioxidant content of oryzanol which can increase bile excretion. Oryzanol is reported to be very effective at lowering cholesterol in the blood and cholesterol in the liver (liver).

4. Choice of cooking oil that is safer for health

Reporting from the Research and Development Library of the Ministry of Agriculture, rice bran oil is better cooking oil than coconut oil, palm oil and corn oil. This is because rice bran oil has a high smoke point, which makes it stable and not easily damaged when cooked at high temperatures.

Compared to palm oil which boils quickly at 176ºC, the new bran oil will boil at 254º Celsius.

Cooking oil that can remain stable when heated to high temperatures will not contain a lot of trans fats, which can increase bad LDL cholesterol and reduce levels of good HDL cholesterol.

5. Good for skin

Bran oil contains squalene and tocotrienols which help soften and improve skin texture, while protecting it from solar UV radiation. In addition, the texture of the oil is not too slippery and easy to clean, so it doesn't feel sticky after applying it to the skin.