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Brown rice

Oryza sativa

Also known as Wholegrain rice, Hulled rice

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Rice with the bran and germ left intact, removing only the inedible hull. The USDA reference entry is for raw grain, and rice roughly triples in weight when boiled, so cooked rice is far more dilute per 100 g.

Blood Sugar & Metabolic HealthHeart HealthWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Moderate evidence

Some trials report a lower post-meal glucose rise when brown rice replaces white rice, though the difference is smaller than the wholegrain framing usually implies and varies with rice variety and cooking.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Observational data links higher wholegrain intake, including brown rice, with lower cardiovascular risk. Trials substituting brown for white rice are short and mostly measure blood markers rather than events.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited for weight effects. Substitution trials report small or no differences in body weight, and observational associations are difficult to separate from the rest of the diets involved.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Brown rice

Ask about Brown rice

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories367 kcal18%
Protein7.54 g15%
Total fat3.2 g4%
Carbohydrate76.3 g28%
Fibre3.6 g13%
Total sugars0.66 g—
Water11.8 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.591 g3%
Monounsaturated fat1.05 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
ALA (omega-3)0.032 g—
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.968 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.6 mg4%
Vitamin K0.6 µg1%
Thiamin (B1)0.541 mg45%
Riboflavin (B2)0.095 mg7%
Niacin (B3)6.49 mg41%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.06 mg21%
Vitamin B60.477 mg28%
Folate23 µg6%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline21.5 mg4%
Minerals
Calcium9 mg1%
Iron1.29 mg7%
Magnesium116 mg28%
Phosphorus311 mg25%
Potassium250 mg5%
Sodium5 mg0%
Zinc2.13 mg19%
Copper0.302 mg34%
Manganese2.85 mg124%
Selenium17.1 µg31%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.21 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Rice, brown, long-grain, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169703).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • boiledReduces inorganic arsenic

    Cooking rice in a large excess of water, as pasta is cooked, and draining it lowers inorganic arsenic substantially compared with the absorption method where all the water is taken up. Some water-soluble B vitamins are lost with the drained water.

  • cookedIncreases resistant starch

    Cooking rice and then chilling it retrogrades part of the starch into resistant starch, which is fermented in the colon rather than digested. Reheating retains much of the change.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Inorganic arsenic

    Rice takes up more inorganic arsenic from soil and water than other cereals, and it concentrates in the bran, so brown rice carries more than white. Rinsing the grain and boiling it in a large excess of water that is then drained removes a substantial share. The exposure matters most for infants fed rice cereal, for young children, and for people eating rice at most meals.

  • Worth knowing

    Phytate and mineral absorption

    The retained bran means brown rice supplies more minerals than white rice but also more phytate, which binds iron and zinc and reduces how much of them is absorbed from that meal.

  • Worth knowing

    Rancidity in storage

    The germ contains unsaturated oil, so brown rice goes rancid within months at room temperature rather than keeping for years like white rice. Cool storage extends its life.