Healthy fats and a number of other nutrients are offered by rice bran oil. 120 calories and 14 grams of fat are included in one tablespoon. The ratio of heart-healthy unsaturated to saturated fat in rice bran oil is greater than that of other nontropical vegetable oils like canola and olive oil. Additionally, it offers 29 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin essential for healthy blood vessels and immune system function.

For their potential health advantages, tocotrienols, oryzanol, and plant sterols—compounds found in rice bran oil—have been researched. Rice bran oil is also an excellent source of poly and mono-unsaturated fats. Studies have shown that consuming these unsaturated fats can improve blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

By reducing insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, rice bran oil may help maintain normal blood sugar levels. By delivering sugar to your cells, insulin reduces blood sugar levels. Although your body stops reacting to this hormone if you acquire insulin resistance. Rice bran oil decreased insulin resistance in a rat cell test-tube research by scavenging free radicals, unstable chemicals that can cause oxidative damage.

Rice bran oil significantly reduced blood sugar levels by raising insulin levels in 17-day research on type 2 diabetic mouse models as compared to the control group. A human investigation produced comparable findings. 19 healthy males consumed a single meal that contained 3.7 grams of rice bran combined with oil. The next morning, compared to individuals who did not consume this component, their blood sugar levels reduced by 15%. Nevertheless, there were no changes in insulin levels, indicating that rice bran oil could potentially help maintain normal blood sugar levels without influencing insulin.

The heart may benefit from using rice bran oil. Because it lowers cholesterol, the Japanese government actually classifies this oil as a healthy food. Rice bran oil dramatically reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol, according to early research in mice. Studies on humans also show that this oil lowers LDL cholesterol. An analysis of 11 randomized, controlled studies involving 344 individuals found that consuming rice bran oil significantly reduced LDL cholesterol levels, with an average reduction of 6.91 mg/dL. Heart disease risk can be decreased by 1-2 percent with just a 1 mg/dL drop in LDL.

Eight of the research followed participants who had hyperlipidemia, or excessive levels of fat in the blood, whereas the remaining studies followed participants who did not have this disease. Following a low-calorie diet with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of rice bran oil per day resulted in considerably lower LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as lower levels of other heart disease risk variables, such as body weight and hip circumference, in a 4-week trial of individuals with hyperlipidemia. The plant sterols in the oil, which stop your body from absorbing cholesterol, are responsible for the changes in cholesterol levels, according to researchers.

Many of the ingredients in rice bran oil have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Oryzanol is one of these substances; research demonstrates that it inhibits a number of inflammatory-promoting enzymes. It could specifically target cardiac membrane and blood vessel inflammation. Inflammation can cause atherosclerosis, which is the hardening and constriction of the arteries and can result in heart disease if it is left untreated.

Additionally, research on mouse cells in a test tube shows that the active substance tocotrienols inhibit inflammation. In 4-week research, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of rice bran oil or soybean oil were given to 59 participants with hyperlipidemia. People's antioxidant capacity was greatly boosted by rice bran oil in comparison to soybean oil, which may help fight oxidative stress.

A class of antioxidants found in rice bran oil called tocotrienols may have anticancer properties. Tocotrienols appear to inhibit the development of a variety of cancer cells, including those of the breast, lung, ovary, liver, brain, and pancreas, in test tubes and on animals. Tocotrienols from rice bran oil seemed to shield human and animal cells against ionizing radiation in test-tube research. Ionizing radiation is a kind of radiation that, at high doses, can have detrimental consequences like cancer.

Tocotrienols show potent anticancer effects when coupled with other anticancer medications or chemotherapy, according to other test-tube research. Supplementing with antioxidants during chemotherapy, such as tocotrienols, is debatable. That's because there's conflicting evidence on whether doing so improves or worsens treatment. Thus, further research is required. Remember that rice bran oil shouldn't be regarded as cancer therapy.