Rice Bran Maintains Healthy Blood Pressure, Lipid Profile and Glucose Metabolism in Stroke-Prone Animals
Researchers have found that rice bran fraction fed to stroke-prone, hypertensive rats reduces blood pressure, triglyceride and glucose levels in the animals.
Rice bran is normally discarded during rice processing and is a naturally rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, especially tocotrienols, gamma-oryzanol, and polyphenols. Past studies of rice bran’s effect on humans have shown that rice bran and rice bran water-soluble fractions can reduce glycosylated hemoglobin in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. (Lower glycosylated hemoglobin levels occur when blood glucose level is optimally regulated.) Rice bran also reduces serum glucose levels and serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and triglycerides levels in both types of diabetics.
In the current study, male 4-week-old rats were divided into one of three groups. One group served as a control and two groups were fed diets supplemented with rice bran fractions. After 8 weeks, compared to the control groups, blood pressure significantly decreased by 20 percent in the animals fed rice bran. This reduction in blood pressure was probably related to rice bran’s ability to significantly reduce blood levels of angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE) in the animals. ACE converts angiotensin-1 to angiotensin-2, which is associated with the narrowing of blood vessels (vasoconstriction).
Plasma triglyceride and glucose levels also were lower in the rice bran groups compared to the control group.
The researchers concluded, “Rice bran fractions appear to have a beneficial dietary component that improves hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.”
Reference:
Ardiansyah, Shirakawa H, Koseki T, Ohinata K, Hashizume K, Komai M. Rice bran fractions improve blood pressure, lipid profile, and glucose metabolism in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Mar 8;54(5):1914-20.
Triphala Improves Stomach Health in Animal Study
Researchers in India have found that the Ayurvedic formula known as Triphala inhibits stomach tumors in animals.
Triphala is a combination of three different plants—Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica and Emblica officinalis. It is commonly used for intestinal health in individuals with gastrointestinal conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
In the current study, researchers induced tumors in the forestomach of mice. They then gave the animals diets with varying amounts of Triphala for varying time periods. One group of control animals received the tumor promoter but did not receive any Triphala.
Animals given 2.5 percent and 5 percent concentrations of Triphala in their diet over the short term had a 77.77 percent reduction in tumors. When the animals were given the same doses over the long term, tumor incidences were reduced to 66.66 percent by the 2.5 percent and 62.50 percent by the 5 percent Triphala-containing diet. The control group of animals, which did not receive the Triphala, had significantly more tumors than the two groups treated with Triphala.
“It was important to observe that Triphala was more effective in reducing tumor incidences compared to its individual constituents,” the researchers noted.
The study authors surmised that the mechanism behind Triphala’s ability to inhibit stomach tumors could be the result of its high content of antioxidants. One component of Triphala, Emblica officinalis (commonly known as amla) is the world’s richest source of natural vitamin C. In addition to vitamin C, researchers at the Bose Institute in Calcutta, India also have isolated a number of tannins in amla that exhibit potent antioxidant activity. In the current study, Triphala significantly increased the antioxidant status of the study animals.
Interestingly, past studies have shown that Triphala components inhibit helicobacter pylori, the bacterium implicated in the development of stomach cancer.
Although Triphala’s possible mechanism of action against cancer was not investigated in this study, the researchers concluded their findings indicate that the concomitant use of multiple agents in Triphala “seemed to have a high degree of chemoprevention potential.”
Reference:
Deep G, Dhiman M, Rao AR, Kale RK. Chemopreventive potential of Triphala (a composite Indian drug) on benzo(a)pyrene induced forestomach tumorigenesis in murine tumor model system. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Dec;24(4):555-63.
Neptune Krill Oil™ Supports Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) can significantly lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, a new randomized, double-blind clinical trial has shown.
Researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal studied the effects of NKO, fish oil, or placebo, with or without low-dose statins in human subjects. After 90 days, the researchers found that NKO alone (1 to 1.5 grams per day) lowered LDL cholesterol by 34 percent and increased HDL cholesterol by 43.5 percent.
Subjects taking fish oil supplements experienced LDL decreases of only 4.6 percent, and HDL increases of 4.2 percent. Placebo treatment resulted in 13 percent increases in LDL and four percent decreases in HDL. Statins alone (10 mg) reduced LDL by 29 percent and increased HDL by 13 percent. The statin/NKO combination resulted in 37 percent decreases in LDL and 51 percent increases in HDL.
NKO’s ability to improve cholesterol levels may be due to its content of omega-3 phospholipids DHA and EPA, which are substrates for apolipoprotein A1 (Apo-A1), required to produce HDL cholesterol.
