Rice bran: the cholesterol effect belongs mostly to the oil

Pooled across 11 randomized trials in 572 people, rice bran products lowered LDL cholesterol by 15.11 mg/dL (95% CI 5.66 to 24.56), with moderate heterogeneity, and rice bran oil did more than whole bran. When a separate meta-analysis took only whole or stabilized bran powder, 8 trials showed an LDL change of 1.68 mg/dL (95% CI minus 5.09 to 8.46), which did not reach significance. A third review of 26 trials in 1,255 people, mostly with high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome and 18 of the trials in Asia, reported systolic pressure 3.3 mmHg lower and LDL 14.6 mg/dL lower. That review pooled whole bran with the oil and with oryzanol and gave no intervals in its abstract. The bran itself is dense in B vitamins. Per 100 g, one USDA record lists 4.07 mg of vitamin B6, 2.75 mg of thiamin and 34 mg of niacin, each over twice the Daily Value, from a single entry with no range, and bran is eaten by the spoonful. Bran also concentrates inorganic arsenic, a cancer-causing contaminant. One study measured about 1 mg per kg in rice bran, 10 to 20 times the level in the whole grain. In a survey of 53 brans the median one crossed a US EPA cancer risk threshold when modeled at 30 g a day for adults. We found no agency limit on how much rice bran is safe to eat each day.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Rice bran held inorganic arsenic at about 1 mg per kg dry weight, 10 to 20 times the level in the whole grain. Five rice bran solubles products had 0.61 to 1.9 mg per kg, so the 20 g daily serving their makers recommend gives 0.012 to 0.038 mg of inorganic arsenic. — commercially purchased and specially milled rice bran; five rice bran solubles products from the United States and Japan (n = 5 rice bran solubles products) Evidence C source
  Inorganic arsenic about 1 mg/kg dry weight in bran, 10 to 20 times bulk grain; 0.61 to 1.9 mg/kg in rice bran solubles; 0.012 to 0.038 mg per 20 g serving
• Across 53 rice brans from several countries, mean inorganic arsenic ran from 0.017 mg per kg in Guatemalan to 0.619 mg per kg in Thai bran. At 3 g a day for infants, 15 g for children and 30 g for adults, the highest-arsenic bran crossed both US EPA risk thresholds in every age group, and median bran crossed the cancer risk threshold. — a global suite of 53 rice brans; modeled intake 3 g/day for infants, 15 g/day for children, 30 g/day for adults (n = 53 rice brans) Evidence C source
  Mean inorganic arsenic 0.017 mg/kg (Guatemala) to 0.619 mg/kg (Thailand); highest-arsenic bran exceeded hazard and cancer risk thresholds in infants, children and adults; median bran exceeded the cancer risk threshold
• Crude rice bran is unusually dense in B vitamins: 100 g carries about 4.07 mg of vitamin B6, 2.75 mg of thiamin and 34 mg of niacin, each more than twice the Daily Value. — USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy record Rice bran, crude (FDC 169713), per 3.5 oz (100 g) (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  Vitamin B6 4.07 mg (239% DV), thiamin 2.753 mg (229% DV), niacin 33.995 mg (212% DV) per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• Swapping in bread made with defatted rice bran, three or four slices a day for four weeks, doubled fiber intake from 20.7 to 43.4 g a day in 56 low-fiber adults. — 56 healthy adults with low baseline fiber intake, double-blind randomized crossover, 3 (women) or 4 (men) slices a day for 4 weeks (n = 56) Evidence B source
  Fiber 20.7 to 43.4 g/day; HDL-C rose and TC:HDL ratio fell vs control; no difference in the primary microbiota outcome after FDR correction

What your body absorbs

• In iron absorption tests in people, the phytate in rice depended on how it was milled, and a meal's iron absorption fell from 22.1% to 7.5% as rice phytate rose from 30 to 175 mg phytate-P. Adding a vitamin C rich vegetable overcame the drop. — adults eating a meat, vegetable and rice meal; polished rice from 45 Thai rice mills Evidence C source
  Phytate-P in polished rice 11.5 to 66 mg/100 g depending on milling; iron bioavailability from the meal 22.1% down to 7.5% across 30 to 175 mg phytate-P; ascorbic-acid-rich vegetable overcame the inhibition
• In 10 patients with recurrent kidney stones and high urine calcium, 60 days of rice bran cut urinary calcium by 40% on average but raised oxalate excretion in 28%. — 10 patients with recurrent nephrolithiasis and idiopathic hypercalciuria given rice bran for 60 days, Brazil (n = 10) Evidence C source
  Urinary calcium -40% on average (-65% absorptive type, -33% renal type); urinary magnesium reduced in 28%; oxalate increased in 28%

What cooking and storage change

• No human study has measured how rice bran phytate affects iron or zinc absorption, and no cooking or retention data exist for rice bran itself. — Layers searched on 2026-09-30 for rice bran: FNDDS, CoFID, USDA Foundation variability, retention R6, 21 CFR 101, PubMed corpus version pubmed:469217, Europe PMC (n = 0 human records) Evidence E source
  Phytate and mineral absorption: animal studies only (pigs, dairy cows, poultry); R6 group Cereal Grains and Pasta has no rice bran row; FNDDS 0; CoFID 0

What it does to your health

• Across 26 randomized trials with 1,255 people, rice bran products lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.3 mmHg and LDL cholesterol by about 14.6 mg/dL. — 26 RCTs, 642 participants on rice bran, rice bran oil or oryzanol and 613 controls, mostly people with dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, 18 of 26 in Asia (n = 1255) Evidence A source
  Systolic BP -3.336 mmHg; diastolic -3.145 mmHg; HbA1c -0.199%; total cholesterol -13.594 mg/dL; LDL-C -14.580 mg/dL; HDL-C +3.074 mg/dL
• A meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials in 572 people found rice bran cut LDL cholesterol by 15.11 mg/dL, with rice bran oil working better than whole bran. — 11 RCTs with 572 participants published up to November 2024 (n = 572) Evidence A source
  TG -15.13 mg/dL (95% CI -29.56 to -0.71); TC -11.80 (-19.35 to -4.25); LDL-C -15.11 (-24.56 to -5.66); HDL-C no change
• In an 8-week open-label trial in 50 people with metabolic syndrome, adding 15 g a day of brown rice bran powder to a standard diet left triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and blood pressure unchanged. — 50 adults with metabolic syndrome randomized to a standard diet or the same diet plus 15 g/day brown rice bran powder for 8 weeks (n = 50) Evidence B source
  Effect sizes vs control: BMI -1.13, waist -1.28, total cholesterol -0.74, LDL-C -0.86, blood sugar -0.82; no change in triglycerides, HDL-C or blood pressure
• In a placebo-controlled trial in 100 Korean adults with mild to moderate depression, 1 g a day of rice bran extract for 8 weeks lowered depression scores by 5.73 points more than placebo. — 100 adults aged 19 to 75 with K-HDRS scores of 7 to 24, 1 g/day rice bran extract or placebo for 8 weeks; 47 and 50 completed (n = 100) Evidence B source
  K-HDRS adjusted difference -5.73 (95% CI -7.07 to -4.39) ITT, about -45%; no adverse events

Safety, limits and interactions

• EFSA's 2024 reference point for inorganic arsenic is 0.06 mcg per kg of body weight a day, based on skin cancer. Adults in Europe already eat around that amount from their usual diet, which EFSA says raises a health concern, and it set no level of low concern. — EU population, adults Evidence E source
  Reference point BMDL05 0.06 mcg inorganic arsenic per kg body weight per day (skin cancer); adult MOEs 2 to 0.4 at mean and 0.9 to 0.2 at the 95th percentile raise a health concern; no MOE of low concern set
• A meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials in 239 people found serum AST, a liver enzyme, 3.52 U/L lower with the rice bran arabinoxylan compound in powder form. — 5 RCTs of rice bran arabinoxylan compound (RBAC, enzymatically modified rice bran) supplementation, 239 participants (n = 239) Evidence A source
  AST WMD -3.52 U/L (95% CI -5.62 to -1.42) for powder form; -3.71 (-5.95 to -1.48) for 3 months or longer
• Elemental imaging of Sri Lankan rice grains showed lead stored mainly in the bran, while cadmium sat in the edible inner grain. — Eleven samples of polished and unpolished traditional rice varieties from the Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka (n = 11 samples) Evidence C source
  Lead mainly in bran layer; cadmium up to 113 ug/kg in one store-bought sample, distributed in the edible portion
• A 14-year-old girl had exercise-induced anaphylaxis after eating rice, with IgE reacting to a 14 to 16 kDa rice bran protein that is also present in polished rice. — One 14-year-old girl in Japan with five episodes of food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Skin prick positive to bran and polished rice; IgE to 14-16 kDa rice bran protein

What people believe that the data does not support

• When only whole or stabilized rice bran powder was pooled, 8 randomized trials showed no significant change in LDL cholesterol (-1.68 mg/dL). — 8 RCTs of whole, stabilized or powdered rice bran in adults, excluding rice bran oil and isolated components, searched to June 2022 (n = 8 RCTs) Evidence A source
  TG -11.38 mg/dL (95% CI -27.73 to 4.96); TC -0.68 (-7.25 to 5.88); LDL-C -1.68 (-8.46 to 5.09); HDL-C 0.16 (-1.52 to 1.85)
• The EU refused an immune-support claim for the rice bran arabinoxylan compound MGN-3, and no rice bran claim is authorized in the EU register. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, snapshot 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  0 authorized and 2 non-authorized claims naming rice bran

Who this works differently for

• EFSA notes that children take in more inorganic arsenic for their weight than adults, so their margins are smaller. It concludes the same health concern covers them, rather than setting a separate limit for children. — children and younger age groups in the EU Evidence E source
  Dietary inorganic arsenic exposure higher and margins of exposure smaller in younger age groups; children covered by the same risk characterization
• In a 6-month trial in 47 Nicaraguan infants, heat-stabilized rice bran rising from 1 g to 5 g a day left serum arsenic unchanged against control (median 14.70 vs 15.10 ppb, P = 0.42), and no adverse events were reported. — weaning infants in León, Nicaragua, from 6 to 12 months; 24 control and 23 rice bran completers (n = 47) Evidence B source
  Heat-stabilized rice bran 1 g/day at 6 months rising to 5 g/day at 12 months; serum arsenic median 15.10 ppb control vs 14.70 ppb rice bran (P = 0.42); no adverse events reported

The bottom line

Bread made with defatted rice bran, three or four slices a day for four weeks, doubled fiber intake from 20.7 to 43.4 g a day in 56 adults who ate little fiber, while the main outcome of that trial, gut bacteria, did not differ. An extract is a different product. In 100 Korean adults with mild to moderate depression, 1 g a day of rice bran extract for 8 weeks lowered depression scores by 5.73 points more than placebo (95% CI 4.39 to 7.07), at a single center. The EU refused an immune support claim for the modified rice bran compound MGN-3, which means the evidence fell short when it was assessed, and no rice bran claim is authorized there. Some cautions are real, and the largest is arsenic. Rice bran holds inorganic arsenic at about 1 mg per kg dry weight, 10 to 20 times the level in the whole grain. Five rice bran solubles products from the United States and Japan had 0.61 to 1.9 mg per kg, so the 20 g daily serving their makers recommend carries 0.012 to 0.038 mg. Across 53 brans from several countries, the mean ran from 0.017 mg per kg in Guatemalan to 0.619 mg per kg in Thai bran. Modeled at 3 g a day for infants, 15 g for children and 30 g for adults, the highest-arsenic bran crossed both US EPA risk thresholds in every age group, and the median bran crossed the cancer risk threshold. That is a calculation, not observed harm. EFSA's 2024 reference point for inorganic arsenic is 0.06 mcg per kg of body weight a day, based on skin cancer, and European adults already eat around that much from their usual diet, which EFSA says raises a health concern. Children take in more for their weight, and EFSA counts them under the same concern. We found no agency limit on how much rice bran is safe to eat each day, and none for rice bran supplements. In one 6-month trial in 47 Nicaraguan infants, heat-stabilized bran rising from 1 g to 5 g a day left serum arsenic unchanged against control and no adverse events were reported. That trial was built to study the gut rather than safety, did not report the arsenic in its bran, and 5 g is a third of the 15 g used in the adult trials. A 14-year-old girl in Japan had anaphylaxis when she exercised after eating rice, with antibodies to a rice bran protein also found in polished rice, one case. Imaging of 11 Sri Lankan rice samples from one area found lead stored mainly in the bran, with no bran concentration given. In 10 people with recurrent kidney stones and high urine calcium, 60 days of rice bran cut urinary calcium by 40 percent on average and raised oxalate excretion in 28 percent, in an uncontrolled 1989 series that did not state the dose. If you have kidney stones, that oxalate rise is a question for the person treating you. A meta-analysis of 5 trials in 239 people found the liver enzyme AST 3.52 U/L lower with MGN-3 powder, and that is a modified supplement. We found no human study of how rice bran itself affects iron or zinc absorption, only animal work. In rice grain, iron absorption from a meal fell from 22.1 to 7.5 percent as the phytate in the rice rose, and a vitamin C rich vegetable in the same meal overcame the drop.

Sources

1. hf2-ricb-1 · analytical survey
   It is reported here that rice bran, both commercially purchased and specifically milled for this study, have levels of inorganic arsenic, a nonthreshold, class 1 carcinogen, reaching concentrations of approximately 1 mg/kg dry weight, around 10-20 fold higher than concentrations found in bulk grain. ... Five rice bran solubles products were tested, sourced from the United States and Japan, and were found to have 0.61-1.9 mg/kg inorganic arsenic. Manufactures recommend approximately 20 g servings of the rice bran solubles per day, which equates to a 0.012-0.038 mg intake of inorganic arsenic.
   Environmental Science and Technology, 2008 · checked 2026-10-08
2. hf2-ricb-2 · analytical survey with health risk assessment
   Mean iAs was highest in Thailand rice bran samples (0.619 mg kg −1 ) and lowest in Guatemala (0.017 mg kg −1 ) rice bran samples. ... Health risk assessment calculations for the highest iAs-rice bran dosage scenario for adults, children and infants exceeded THQ and LCR thresholds, and LCR was above threshold for median iAs-rice bran. ... Consumption rates included for infants were 3 g of rice bran per day, 15 g per day for children and 30 g per day for adults.
   Environmental Pollution, 2021 · checked 2026-10-08
3. ricb-daily-r3-01 · food composition data
   Rice bran, crude (FDC 169713, sr_legacy): vitamin B6 4.07 mg · thiamin 2.753 mg · niacin 33.995 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2018, FDC 169713 Rice bran, crude · checked 2026-09-30
4. ricb-daily-r3-06 · randomized crossover trial
   Participants consumed three (females) or four (males) slices of DRB-fortified bread or control bread daily as part of their usual diet for four weeks, with the intervention periods separated by a two-week washout. ... DRB-fortified bread consumption significantly increased total DF intake from 20.7 g/day to 43.4 g/day (p < 0.001).
   Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
5. hf2-ricb-6 · human iron absorption study
   Phytate is always present in rice grains. The content varies markedly depending on the method of milling. In polished rice, the content of phytate-P varied between 11.5 and 66 mg/100 g rice (data from 45 rice mills in Thailand). The bioavailability of iron in a meal composed of meat, a vegetable and rice varied about threefold (22.1-7.5 per cent) depending on the different phytate content of the rice (4 levels between 30 and 175 mg phytate-P were studied). The inhibitory effect of the phytate in rice was overcome by adding different amounts of an ascorbic acid-rich vegetable (green collard) to the meals.
   European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990 · checked 2026-10-08
6. ricb-daily-r3-09 · uncontrolled case series
   Ten patients with recurrent nephrolithiasis and hypercalciuria were given rice bran during 60 days. Hypercalciuria was reduced in all patients in an average of 40%. Urinary magnesium was reduced in 28% and oxalate excretion was increased in 28%.
   Rev Paul Med, 1989 · checked 2026-09-30
7. ricb-daily-r3-13 · search record
   rice bran: FNDDS 0 · CoFID 0 · variability 0 · retention R6 0 rows for product · 21 CFR 101 0 · corpus phytate/iron/zinc absorption: 5 records, all animal · Europe PMC 2026-09-30: 0 human absorption studies
   Bioma research layers, snapshot 2026-09-30 · checked 2026-09-30
8. ricb-daily-r3-02 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Twenty-six RCTs involving 1255 participants (642 in rice bran groups, 613 in controls) were included in the meta-analysis. ... Rice bran significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (WMD: -3.336 mmHg; p = 0.0006), diastolic blood pressure (WMD: -3.145 mmHg; p = 0.015), and HbA1c (WMD: -0.199%; p = 0.003). Lipid profiles improved, with reductions in total cholesterol (WMD: -13.594 mg/dL; p < 0.0001) and LDL cholesterol (WMD: -14.580 mg/dL; p < 0.0001), and an increase in HDL cholesterol (WMD: 3.074 mg/dL; p = 0.007).
   Int J Mol Sci, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
9. ricb-daily-r3-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   Eleven RCTs involving 572 participants met the inclusion criteria. Pooled results showed that rice bran consumption significantly reduced TG (-15.13 mg/dL; 95% CI: -29.56, -0.71), TC (-11.80 mg/dL; 95% CI: -19.35, -4.25), and LDL-C (-15.11 mg/dL; 95% CI: -24.56, -5.66) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 38.1-63.0%). No significant changes were observed for HDL-C. Subgroup analyses showed that rice bran oil had greater effects on TC and LDL-C than whole rice bran.
   Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
10. ricb-daily-r3-05 · randomized controlled trial
    In this eight-week open-label controlled trial, fifty participants with MetS were randomly assigned to either a control group, which received a standard diet (SDiet), or an intervention group, which incorporated 15 grams of BRBP daily into their diet. ... However, no significant changes were found regarding levels of triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, glutathione, catalase and blood pressure after the trial.
    Food Funct, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
11. ricb-daily-r3-07 · randomized controlled trial
    At 8 wk, the RBS group exhibited greater reductions in K-HDRS scores compared with the placebo group (P < 0.001), with adjusted differences of -5.73 [95% confidence interval (CI): -7.07, -4.39; intention-to treat analysis (ITT)] and -5.95 [95% CI: -7.33, -4.57, per-protocol analysis (PP)], corresponding to percent changes of -45.1% (ITT) and -46.0% (PP), respectively.
    Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
12. hf2-ricb-3 · EFSA scientific opinion
    The CONTAM Panel used the benchmark dose lower confidence limit based on a benchmark response (BMR) of 5% (relative increase of the background incidence after adjustment for confounders, BMDL 05 ) of 0.06 μg iAs/kg bw per day obtained from a study on skin cancer as a Reference Point (RP). ... In adults, the MOEs are low (range between 2 and 0.4 for mean consumers and between 0.9 and 0.2 at the 95th percentile exposure, respectively) and as such raise a health concern despite the uncertainties. ... Therefore, the Panel decided not to determine a value for an MOE of low concern.
    EFSA CONTAM Panel, Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food, EFSA Journal 2024;22(1):e8488 · checked 2026-10-08
13. ricb-daily-r3-08 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    RESULTS: Subgroup meta-analysis on five eligible randomized controlled trials (n = 239) showed a significant decrease in serum AST regarding RBAC supplementation in powder form (WMD (95%CI) = -3.52 (-5.62, -1.42) U/L; P-value = 0.001, I2 (%) = 46.9; P heterogeneity = 0.170)
    Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2023 · checked 2026-09-30
14. ricb-daily-r3-10 · cross-sectional study
    Elemental imaging of the grains revealed lead to be stored mainly in the rice bran, which is removed during polishing, while cadmium was distributed in the edible portion of the grain.
    Biol Trace Elem Res, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
15. ricb-daily-r3-11 · case report
    Skin prick test results were positive for bran and polished rice, and exercise after consumption of polished rice resulted in anaphylaxis. Therefore, we diagnosed FDEIA caused by polished rice. Immunoblotting confirmed the presence of immunoglobulin E reacting with 14-16kDa rice bran protein in the patient's serum.
    Arerugi, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
16. ricb-daily-r3-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    RESULTS: Meta-analysis of eight RCTs (with 11 effect sizes) showed no significant effect of rice bran supplementation on serum levels of triglyceride (WMD: -11.38 mg/dl; 95% CI: -27.73, 4.96; P = 0.17), total cholesterol (WMD: -0.68 mg/dl; 95% CI: -7.25, 5.88; P = 0.834), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: -1.68 mg/dl; 95% CI: -8.46, 5.09; P = 0.627) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: 0.16 mg/dl; 95% CI: -1.52, 1.85; P = 0.848) compared to control group.
    Syst Rev, 2023 · checked 2026-09-30
17. ricb-daily-r3-12 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-7544 MGN-3 Rice Bran Arabinoxylan compound Helps the body maintain a strong immune system Supports optimal immune functions Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7544, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
18. hf2-ricb-4 · EFSA scientific opinion
    The CONTAM Panel notes that dietary iAs exposure is higher in the younger age groups and therefore the respective MOEs are smaller. However, this does not necessarily indicate that children are at greater risk, because the effects are due to long‐term exposure and most of the epidemiological studies are conducted in adults who would also have had higher dietary exposure during early life. Therefore, the CONTAM Panel concludes that children are covered by this risk characterisation.
    EFSA CONTAM Panel, Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food, EFSA Journal 2024;22(1):e8488 · checked 2026-10-08
19. hf2-ricb-5 · randomized controlled trial
    At 6 mo of age, participants in the RB group consumed 1 g RB/d (1 sachet). ... The amount increased to 4 g RB/d (4 sachets) and 5 g RB/d (5 sachets) at 11 and 12 mo of age, respectively. ... Twenty-four infants in the control group and 23 in the RB group successfully completed the 6-mo dietary intervention with 90% dietary compliance. ... No adverse events were reported during this period. ... Arsenic (As) 15.10 2.41 14.70 1.76 0.42
    Current Developments in Nutrition, 2021 · checked 2026-10-08