THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Blueberries and
blackberries have high levels of antioxidants, which help the body
deal with potentially dangerous cellular oxidation, but scientists
say they've also found a cheaper source of antioxidants for
consumers: black rice.
"Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants," study co-author Zhimin Xu said in a news release from the American Chemical Society.
"If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran?" suggested Xu, associate professor at the food science department at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge. "Black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health-promoting antioxidants."
The study authors noted that black rice bran could be used to
boost the health benefits of breakfast cereals, cakes, cookies and
other foods. It could also be added to beverages, and may serve as
food coloring, allowing food manufacturers to avoid artificial
colorants, the team said in the news release. The scientists
explained that pigments in black rice bran extracts range from pink
to black.
In the study, the researchers tested black rice bran grown in
the Southern United States. Although brown rice is the most common
rice variety produced worldwide, Xu said the study results suggest
that black rice bran may be healthier than brown rice bran in terms
of antioxidants.
In Asia, black rice is most commonly used for food decoration,
such as in noodles or sushi. One variety of black rice is known as
"Forbidden Rice" because in Ancient China, it was only permitted to
be eaten by nobles and no one else, according to background
information in the news release.
The study results were scheduled to be released Thursday at the
national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
More information
To learn more about
antioxidants, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.