Know2eat

Rice bran oil

Oryza sativa

What rice bran oil has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Moderate
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About rice bran oil

Oil extracted from the bran layer removed when brown rice is milled to white, with a balanced fatty-acid profile and a high smoke point that makes it a mainstay of Japanese frying. It is unusual among refined oils in retaining gamma-oryzanol, a mixture of sterol and triterpene ferulate esters.

Also known as Rice oil, Komeabura, Bran oil

Heart HealthBlood Sugar & Metabolic Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Moderate

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Several small randomised trials and pooled analyses report lower total and LDL cholesterol when rice bran oil replaces other cooking oils, with the plant sterol and gamma-oryzanol fraction the usual explanation. The trials are mostly small, short and conducted in a few countries, so the effect size is not well pinned down.

What may be going on: Plant sterols compete with cholesterol for incorporation into intestinal mixed micelles, reducing how much dietary and biliary cholesterol is absorbed.

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.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for rice bran oil and glucose control. A few small trials in people with type 2 diabetes report modest changes in fasting glucose, usually alongside other dietary changes, and the results are not consistent enough to draw a conclusion.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

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

Ask about Rice bran oil

Ask about Rice bran oil

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.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories884 kcal44%
Protein0 g0%
Total fat100 g128%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water0 g—
Fats
Saturated fat19.7 g99%
Monounsaturated fat39.3 g—
Polyunsaturated fat35 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)33.4 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin E32.3 mg215%
Vitamin K24.7 µg21%
Thiamin (B1)0 mg0%
Riboflavin (B2)0 mg0%
Niacin (B3)0 mg0%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0 mg0%
Vitamin B60 mg0%
Folate0 µg0%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium0 mg0%
Iron0.07 mg0%
Magnesium0 mg0%
Phosphorus0 mg0%
Potassium0 mg0%
Sodium0 mg0%
Zinc0 mg0%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0 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: Oil, rice bran (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171013).

% 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.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

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

  • Worth knowing

    Gamma-oryzanol content varies with processing

    The compound the oil is marketed on is partially stripped by aggressive refining, and content differs several-fold between products. Nothing on the label usually tells you how much is left.

  • Worth knowing

    Bran goes rancid before it is pressed

    Rice bran contains active lipase and begins degrading within hours of milling, so the oil must be stabilised quickly. Poorly handled bran yields oil with a high free fatty acid content that then needs harsher refining.

  • Worth knowing

    A high smoke point is not immunity to oxidation

    Rice bran oil holds up better than the highly polyunsaturated oils, but repeated frying still degrades it and still generates aldehydes. Changing frying oil regularly matters more than which oil is in the pan.