Rice bran - a new treatment for diabetes?
blood sugar levels in people suffering from type I and type II
diabetes, according to recent research from the US.
Supplementing a diet with stabilised rice bran could help reduce blood sugar levels in people suffering from type I and type II diabetes, according to recent research from the US.
The results of a double-blind, cross-over study published in the March issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry showed that one out of four diabetics among the 57 participants reduced their daily dosage of medication by 30 to 60 per cent after adding stabilised rice bran derivatives to their diet.
"This is a significant finding in view of the short duration of the study," said Dr Asaf Qureshi, the principle researcher of the study. "While not all of the subjects were able to reduce their hyperglycaemic medications, all of the subjects were able to maintain a lower blood glucose level on these regimens as compared to their respective placebo groups."
The stabilised rice bran supplements were RiSolubles and RiceMucil, marketed by the US group NutraStar under licence from their manufacturer, The RiceX Company.
Qureshi and his colleagues at Advanced Medical Research in Madison, Wisconsin found that by consuming 20 grams per day of either RiSolubles or RiceMucil, for 60 days, both Type I and Type II diabetics were able to lower their blood sugar levels by 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
In addition, the study also found that the stabilised rice bran derivatives were able to lower total serum cholesterol and total triglycerides between 5 per cent and 15 per cent in subjects with normal cholesterol levels. "Not only did we find a decrease in the blood glucose levels," said Qureshi, "but we also found a significant effect in lowering triglyceride and apo-lipoprotein B levels in these diabetic patients."
