Rice bran oil is used extensively, especially in Asia, for cooking. It has a nut-like flavor and a high smoke point, making it suitable for deep frying and cooking at high temperatures. Rice bran extracts are used in the cosmetic industry.
Isolation, extraction, and purification of gamma oryzanol were first reported in the mid-1950s. It has been sold in Japan as a medicine since 1962, first to treat anxiety and later in menopause. Gamma oryzanol and rice bran oil therapy have been used to manage elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels since the late 1980s.
Gamma oryzanol is a naturally occurring mixture of plant chemicals called sterols and ferulic acid esters with the following benefits:
● Reduce inflammation
● Lower blood glucose
● Exert antioxidant activity. This is due to ferulic acid, a strong antioxidant that protects cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS)
● Lower bad cholesterol. Phytosterols (plant sterols) found in this supplement have a structure similar to cholesterol and are well known for their LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect