Brown rice is widely known as a staple food in many diets around the world. One of the most common brown rice benefits is the fact that it contains high quantities of several recommended daily nutrients. Of all the rice varieties, the brown type also tends to be the least processed. Therefore, it usually retains the greatest amount of its nutrients. Due to its reputation for helping to reduce or prevent the risks of several health problems, many nutritionists often recommend it as an important part of a wholesome diet.
A grain of rice typically consists of three layers — the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Brown rice benefits exist because only the outer hull is removed from the grain, with the inner layers left intact. To produce white rice, both the bran layer and the germ layer are removed, leaving only the endosperm. For this reason, brown rice is called a whole grain. It can be found in both long and short grain versions.
One of the benefits of brown rice is that it already contains many vitamins and minerals that normally must be added back to white rice, after processing, in order to restore some lost benefits. Even when processed white rice has nutrients added back to it, they are not usually in the same form. The resulting product generally is not as beneficial to one’s health as the original, unprocessed grain.
Fiber and minerals, such as selenium, manganese, and magnesium, all help contribute to the nutritional value of brown rice. Since it has many healthful properties, fiber content may be one of the most commonly touted health benefits of brown rice. One serving has approximately three-and-a-half times the fiber of the same amount of white rice. Brown rice also is a good source of selenium. Both fiber and selenium have been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer. Selenium also is associated with preventing heart disease and the symptoms of conditions like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
Another of the common brown rice benefits is that it is an excellent source of manganese, which helps the body produce energy and acts as an antioxidant. Magnesium is another nutrient found in brown rice. This mineral might help relieve asthma, high blood pressure, migraines, and the chance of a heart attack or stroke. It has also been recommended by most medical professionals to help promote healthy bones.
According to one study, another of the many brown rice benefits is that rice bran oil may help lower cholesterol. Other reports claim that brown rice might also lower one’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The taste and texture of it differ from that of white rice, so some people may prefer one over the other. Still, it can be worthwhile to try to incorporate this grain into one’s diet, due to the numerous ways that brown rice benefits a person’s overall health.