What is oryzanol and how is it beneficial for heart health in Indian diets?

Oryzanol is a compound found in rice bran oil that helps lower total cholesterol and 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels, making it beneficial for heart health. Incorporating rice bran oil into traditional Indian cooking can be a healthy choice for maintaining cardiovascular health.

Can I get enough oryzanol from my regular Indian diet?

While oryzanol is present in foods like brown rice, wheat bran, and barley, achieving the high doses studied (around 300 mg) solely through diet can be challenging. However, including these foods regularly in your meals can contribute to your overall intake of oryzanol.

Are there any side effects of taking oryzanol supplements for heart health?

While oryzanol supplements may offer heart health benefits, they should be approached with caution, especially for individuals with thyroid issues. It's advisable to focus on obtaining oryzanol from natural food sources like rice bran oil instead of supplements.

What are some heart-healthy oils I can use in Indian cooking?

In addition to rice bran oil, other heart-healthy options include mustard oil and oils rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) like olive oil. It's important to balance oil intake with overall calorie consumption and to choose oils that fit your cooking style and dietary needs.

Oryzanol: the new heart saver on the block

Published on March 26, 2013 | Shruti Marjara Kushwaha | 2 comments

Our parents had little option to choose from when buying a cooking medium. I remember, there was homemade desi ghee, dalda, mustard oil and a few varieties of refined oils (which were still at a very nascent stage). But nowadays when we go oil shopping the mind boggles, looking at 'n' number of options and the health claims. The latest oil doing the rounds is rice bran oil with its heart-healthy component: oryzanol.

Heart Healthy benefits of Oryzanol

The health benefits of rice bran oil are heavily popularising it. The oil comes from rice bran, a byproduct of the rice milling process that converts brown rice to white rice. This oil contains oryzanol, which is a group of chemical compounds, found at concentrations of 1-2%. Researchers are extensively studying oryzanol for its various health benefits.

Intake of oryzanol has been known to significantly decrease total cholesterol, 'bad' (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, which makes it heart-healthy. But its effects on 'good' (high-density lipoprotein, HDL) cholesterol levels are less clear. A few other benefits where evidence has been inconclusive include:

Increasing testosterone (male reproductive hormone) and human growth hormone levels.
Improving strength during resistance exercise training.
Treating symptoms of menopause and aging.

Researchers need more evidence to rate the effectiveness of gamma oryzanol for these uses.

Researchers have documented the above-mentioned health benefits at high doses, which are difficult to achieve through diet alone. In all these studies, the diet was supplemented with oryzanol, with a daily dose of 300 mg given to observe cholesterol-lowering effects. However, people should exercise caution when taking oryzanol as a supplement, especially if they have an underactive thyroid. Instead, consuming foods like brown rice, wheat bran, rye, barley, which contain varying amounts of oryzanol, can help achieve the daily dose.

Like rice bran oil lots of oils are marketed for their heart-protective effect. But one needs to understand that oils pack in them lots of calories as well. The oils that have constituents like MUFA, omega-3,6,9, etc. definitely have an edge over cooking medium containing trans fats and saturated fats. But at the end of the day, they are oils. So watch before you eat.