Brown Rice Nutrition Facts

Brown rice has been around for centuries and has been a staple in the diets of millions of people since then.  There are actually more than 7,000 varieties of rice that can be placed into three groups including short, medium, and long grain.  Brown rice can come in a variety of grains and is a bowl of natural, whole grain rice.  It typically has a nutty flavor to it and is brown in color, hence the name.

Each cup of brown rice comes with a wealth of health benefits.  One cup of cooked brown rice will contain approximately 216 calories and is a great source of iron, manganese, magnesium, iron, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.  A cup of brown rice also contains 5 grams protein, 46 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams fiber.

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Recently, it has been shown that brown rice has some excellent nutritional benefits including helping to reduce cholesterol.  This is especially true when it comes to using rice bran oil.  This is oil which is removed in the polishing process of the rice and contains gamma-oryzanol which can lower cholesterol.  In fact, it has been shown through research that a diet containing rice bran oil can result in significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels.

It has also been shown that brown rice is very beneficial when it comes to reducing the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.  This is especially true because brown rice will slowly be changed into sugars by the body and as a result, keeps blood sugar stable for a longer period of time. 

Studies also show that brown rice is much more beneficial in this area than milled rice.  In fact, it has been shown that eating white rice five or more times in a week will actually increase a person’s chance of developing diabetes.  On the other hand, a diet rich in brown rice has the opposite effect. 

Studies show that two or more servings of brown rice within a week can lower the risk.  Even replacing fifty grams of white rice with a comparable amount of brown rice can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 16%.

In addition, brown rice is also known as a way to prevent certain types of cancer.  The secret is inositol hexaphospahte which is a molecule found in brown rice and has been shown to have a lot of promise in cancer prevention and treatment.  One of the cancers which respond to this molecule is pancreatic cancer which actually has very few treatment options.
Finally, other research shows that brown rice may work against angiotensin II. This is a protein and has been known to aid in the development of high blood pressure as well as atherosclerosis.  However, a diet rich in brown rice could help to ward off these two issues.

While most people tend to flock to white rice, it would be much better to have a diet that is rich in brown rice.  There are many more health benefits to it and there is really no way you can go wrong with at least two servings a week in a diet.