Black rice: a small memory result, and a pigment that cooking destroys

Black rice is sold on its dark pigment, the anthocyanins, and the direct test of the grain as food is small. In a crossover trial in 24 older adults, 7.4 oz (210 g) of black rice a day, carrying 208 mg of anthocyanins, slightly improved a verbal memory score against brown rice after eight days, total recall 52.6 against 49.5, and lowered the inflammation marker IL-6. That trial was single blind, short, and has not been repeated on a larger group. Given on its own in capsules, 320 mg a day of black rice anthocyanins for 28 days did not significantly change LDL cholesterol, other blood lipids or fasting glucose against placebo in 52 adults with high cholesterol. Cooking removes much of the pigment anyway. In laboratory tests on one Californian variety, cooking destroyed 65 to 80 percent of the main anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, and the pressure cooker was the harshest.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw black rice holds about 113 mg magnesium per 3.5 oz (100 g), with samples ranging from 96 to 136 mg. — not applicable (food composition data) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  113.4 mg/100 g (range 95.8-136.0)
• Raw black rice provides about 4.2 g dietary fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g) (range 3.6 to 4.8 g across samples). — not applicable (food composition data) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  4.179 g/100 g (range 3.63-4.8)
• Minerals in black rice vary a lot between samples: iron ranged from 0.89 to 1.48 mg and zinc from 1.32 to 2.37 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). — not applicable (food composition data) (n = 8 samples) Evidence E source
  Iron 1.116 mg/100 g (0.894-1.48); zinc 1.716 mg/100 g (1.32-2.37)

What cooking and storage change

• In a crossover trial in 10 healthy people, pre-soaked and steamed waxy black rice was among the starchy foods with a glycemic index of 83 to 109, not significantly different from white rice. In laboratory tests pre-soaking raised rapidly digestible starch. — 10 healthy subjects; test foods with 50 g available carbohydrate, pre-soaked 12 h and steamed 30 or 60 min (n = 10) Evidence B source
  GI 83-109 for waxy black rice and other grains, not significantly different from white rice; lotus seed and adzuki bean GI 21-51
• Laboratory cooking tests found that cooking black rice destroyed 65 to 80% of its main anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-glucoside, with pressure cooking the harshest. — black rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica var. SBR) grown in California; laboratory cooking Evidence D source
  Cyanidin-3-glucoside loss 79.8% (pressure cooker), 74.2% (rice cooker), 65.4% (gas range); protocatechuic acid up 2.7-3.4 times

What it does to your health

• In a crossover RCT in 52 adults with high cholesterol, 320 mg a day of black rice anthocyanins in capsules for 28 days did not change LDL cholesterol or glycemic markers versus placebo. — 52 hyperlipidemic adults; capsules with 320 mg anthocyanins (bilberry or black rice) or placebo once daily for 28 days (n = 52) Evidence B source
  No significant change versus placebo in LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, ApoB, fasting glucose
• In a 6-week RCT in 40 overweight Korean women on low-energy meal replacements, a brown plus black rice mix lowered weight, BMI and body fat more than white rice. — 40 overweight women aged 20-35 years (BMI 25 or higher), Korea; low-energy meal replacement 3 times a day for 6 weeks (n = 40) Evidence B source
  Greater reduction in weight, BMI and body fat % with mixed rice vs white rice (P<.05); cholesterol fell similarly in both groups

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU did not authorize claims that black rice or its bran keeps the heart and arteries healthy, maintains blood cholesterol or protects cells from oxidative damage. — not applicable (regulatory decision) Evidence E source
  Claim not authorized in the EU

Who this works differently for

• In an RCT in 60 patients with coronary heart disease, 10 g a day of black rice pigment fraction for 6 months lowered hs-CRP versus white rice fraction but did not change blood lipids or carotid wall thickness. — 60 patients with coronary heart disease aged 45-75 years, Guangzhou, China; 6 months (n = 60) Evidence B source
  Hs-CRP reduced (p=0.002) and total antioxidant capacity raised (p=0.003) vs white rice fraction; lipids and carotid IMT unchanged
• Observational data from 295 adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome link the highest black rice intake with lower odds of hyperuricemia (OR 0.147) versus the lowest. — 295 participants with or at risk of metabolic syndrome; food frequency questionnaire (n = 295) Evidence C source
  OR 0.147 (95% CI 0.023 to 0.539), extreme tertiles of black rice intake
• In a crossover RCT in 24 older adults, eating 7.4 oz (210 g) black rice a day for 8 days slightly improved verbal memory versus brown rice (total recall 52.6 vs 49.5) and lowered IL-6. — 24 older adults aged 65 +/- 7 years; 210 g black rice (208 mg anthocyanins) or brown rice daily for 9 days (n = 24) Evidence B source
  RAVLT total recall 52.57 vs 49.54 (p=0.02); IL-6 change from baseline -0.67 (p=0.03); no effect on blood pressure

The bottom line

As a grain it is decent and ordinary. Eight USDA samples of raw black rice average 113 mg of magnesium and 4.2 g of fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g). They vary a lot, with iron between 0.89 and 1.48 mg and zinc between 1.32 and 2.37 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g), and these figures are for raw rice rather than cooked. Do not expect it to be gentle on blood sugar. In a crossover trial in 10 healthy people, waxy black rice soaked for 12 hours and then steamed had a glycemic index in the same 83 to 109 band as the other grains tested, not significantly different from white rice. In the same paper's laboratory tests, soaking raised the share of quickly digested starch. The weight and heart results come from altered products or special groups. In 40 overweight Korean women on a low-energy meal replacement three times a day for 6 weeks, a brown plus black rice mix lowered weight, BMI and body fat more than white rice, and the abstract gives no size for the difference. In 60 patients with coronary heart disease, 10 g a day of a black rice pigment fraction for 6 months lowered the inflammation marker hs-CRP against a white rice fraction. Blood lipids and carotid wall thickness did not change. In 295 adults with or at risk of metabolic syndrome, the highest black rice intake was linked with lower odds of high uric acid, an odds ratio of 0.147 with a wide 95 percent interval of 0.023 to 0.539. That comes from a single survey and shows an association only. The EU has refused claims that black rice or its bran keeps the heart and arteries healthy, maintains blood cholesterol or protects cells from oxidative damage. We have no safety evidence card for black rice, so this page cannot say who should be careful with it.

Sources

1. blkrc-r2-01 · food composition dataset
   Rice, black, unenriched, raw | Magnesium, Mg | 113.4 mg per 100 g | range 95.8-136.0 | 8 samples
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, FDC 2710825 (Rice, black, unenriched, raw) · checked 2026-09-30
2. blkrc-r2-02 · food composition dataset
   Rice, black, unenriched, raw | Fiber, total dietary | 4.179 g per 100 g | range 3.63-4.8 | 8 samples
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, FDC 2710825 (Rice, black, unenriched, raw) · checked 2026-09-30
3. blkrc-r2-03 · food composition dataset
   Rice, black, unenriched, raw | Iron, Fe | 1.116 mg per 100 g | range 0.894-1.48; Zinc, Zn | 1.716 mg per 100 g | range 1.32-2.37 | 8 samples
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, FDC 2710825 (Rice, black, unenriched, raw) · checked 2026-09-30
4. blkrc-r2-07 · randomized crossover trial
   Both the LS and AB meals achieved low glycemic index (GI 21⁻51), while the other starchy foods failed to show significant difference with rice (GI 83⁻109). ... The in vitro tests indicated that pre-soaking resulted in high rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and low resistant starch (RS).
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
5. blkrc-r2-10 · food analysis
   All cooking methods caused significant (P < 0.001) decreases in the anthocyanins identified. Pressure cooking resulted in the greatest loss of cyanidin-3-glucoside (79.8%) followed by the rice cooker (74.2%) and gas range (65.4%). Conversely, levels of protocatechuic acid increased 2.7 to 3.4 times in response to all cooking methods.
   J Agric Food Chem, 2009 · checked 2026-09-30
6. blkrc-r2-04 · randomized crossover trial
   Participants ingest capsules containing 320 mg of anthocyanins (bilberry trihydroxy-type or black rice dihydroxy-type) or placebo once daily for 28 days. ... Compared to the placebo, neither anthocyanin treatment significantly (p < 0.05) changes circulating levels of lipoproteins (total-/high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-/low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, Apolipoprotein B (ApoB)), biomarkers of glycemic control (fasting glucose, fructosamine), biomarkers of HDL function (ApoA1, HDL3, paraoxonase-1 (PON1) arylesterase, and lactonase activities), or plasma bile acids.
   Mol Nutr Food Res, 2022 · checked 2026-09-30
7. blkrc-r2-06 · randomized controlled trial
   Forty women between 20 and 35 years of age were randomly divided into 2 groups who consumed 1 of 2 low-energy meal replacements containing either white rice (WR group) or mixture of brown rice and black rice (BRBL group). ... The subjects showed a significant reduction in weight, body mass index, and body fat (%) during the experimental period, with the BRBL group exhibiting levels of all 3 parameters significantly lower than those of the WR group (P < .05).
   Nutr Res, 2008 · checked 2026-09-30
8. blkrc-r2-11 · EU claims register
   POL-HC-6781 Black rice (Oriza sativa indica), consumed as such, or the bran (pigment fraction) of black rice used as a food ingredient in foods, in particular yoghurts, baked products, food supplements and certain foods for a particular nutritional use. helps keep the heart and arteries healthy #C helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol #B helps protect the body tissue and cells from oxidative damage #A Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6781, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
9. blkrc-r2-05 · randomized controlled trial
   In the test group, the diet was supplemented with 10 grams of BRF derived from black rice for 6 months; While in the placebo group, the diet was supplemented with 10 grams of white rice pigment fraction (WRF) derived from white rice. ... After 6 months' intervention, compared to WRF supplementation, BRF supplementation greatly enhanced plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (p=0.003), significantly reduce plasma levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) (p=0.03), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) (p=0.002) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (p=0.002) in the test group. No significant changes were observed in plasma total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity, lipids level and carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) between two groups.
   Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2007 · checked 2026-09-30
10. blkrc-r2-08 · cross-sectional study
    Inverse associations were observed between the intake of oat, black rice, and black bean and hyperuricemia, with odds ratios (95 % confidence intervals) comparing extreme tertiles were 0.179 (0.027,0.664), 0.147 (0.023,0.539), and 0.395 (0.057,1.632) (all P trend<0.05).
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
11. blkrc-r2-09 · randomized crossover trial
    Participants consumed either 210 g of anthocyanin-rich black rice (208 mg of anthocyanins) or the brown rice control (0 mg of anthocyanins) daily for 9 days. ... Eight days of black rice intake significantly improved verbal memory (RAVLT final recall: 12.64 vs. 11.92, p = 0.04; total recall: 52.57 vs. 49.54, p = 0.02) and enhanced digit span backward (change from baseline (CFB) = 0.83, p = 0.03) compared with brown rice.
    Food Funct, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30