Haven’t heard of black rice? It’s not surprising really, it’s pretty rare compared to its brown and white relatives.
Ancient Chinese lore claims that black rice was reserved solely for the
Emperor and the Royal Family, due to its nutritional profile and healing
abilities. Back in those days, if you were caught eating it without
permission, your life was in jeopardy!
Was the Emperor right when he decided to keep it all to himself? Is black rice worth tracking down for its healthful properties?
Healthy Source of Carbs
White rice isn’t bad for you, but due to the hull being removed, it is lower in nutrients.
Brown rice is a better option, with a higher fiber content. But can black rice beat it?
Here is what a typical serving (one quarter cup, uncooked) of black rice will provide your body with:
- 160 calories
- 5 g fat – 2% Recommended Daily Value (RDV)
- 34 g carbohydrates – 11% RDV
- 2 g dietary fiber – 8% RDV
- 1 g sugar
- 5 g protein
- No saturated fat
- No cholesterol
Let’s compare that with brown and white rice.
Brown rice has 170 calories, 45 g of carbs and 4 g of protein, while white rice has 180 calories, 53 g carbs and 3 g protein.
As you can see, black rice is very similar to the other kinds of rice in
terms of macronutrition. But, where it takes the lead is in its
micronutrient content.
Rich Source of Antioxidants
Where black rice really puts itself ahead of either brown or white rice is when it comes to its antioxidant content.
An analysis of
12 different varieties of rice found that the antioxidant content of
black rice was about six times higher than brown or white rice.
Another study found similar results.
Inflammation Fighting
While inflammation is a healthy bodily response to foreign bacteria and
viruses, sometimes inflammation can get out of control, which is most
definitely not a good thing!
Researchers from the University of Suwon in South Korea carried out animal tests on both black rice bran and brown rice bran for their effectiveness against skin inflammation.
While the brown rice bran didn’t suppress inflammation, the black rice
bran did! This led the researchers to suggest that black rice may be a
useful ‘therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases
associated with chronic inflammation’.
Another study, published in the Journal of International Immunopharmacology, found that the main constituent of black rice (C3G) is highly effective at suppressing inflammation in the body.
Of course, you won’t fight chronic inflammation by eating rice alone!
Weight Management
Another supposed health benefit of black rice is helping people reach or maintain a healthy weight.
I have to admit, when it comes to products making claims like this, I’m
incredibly skeptical. There are just too many products on the market now
that make the same claims.
So does the science back up the claims about black rice and fat fighting?
A 2008 study at the Department of Food and Nutrition at Hanyang University Korea, researchers divided 40 overweight adult women into two groups for a six week study.
One group ate meals containing white rice, while the others ate almost
identical meals – the only difference being the white rice was replaced
by a mix of black and brown.
Even though both groups had significant reductions in weight, BMI and body fat, the brown/black group enjoyed greater reductions in all three areas, when compared with the white rice group.
Of course, this is just one study. And it featured a mix of black and brown rice.
This makes it difficult to say if black rice is responsible for the
extra weight loss, or if it’s simply down to the high fiber content of
both black and brown rice.
However, this study (and many others) highlight the importance of fiber
in maintaining a healthy weight. Because our bodies digest fiber slowly,
high fiber foods keep us fuller for longer, preventing hunger, and
cravings.
Heart Health
It goes without saying that keeping a healthy heart is vital for overall health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
states that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US for
both men and women, accounting for one in every four deaths.
Can black rice play a role in a healthier heart?
Some studies seem to suggest it can.
One such study, featured in the Journal of Nutrition, found that black rice decreases atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries.
When this plaque builds up, it causes the arteries to harden and become blocked.
It’s a major risk factor for both heart attack and stroke. In this
particular study, male rabbits were injected with high levels of
cholesterol in order to cause this plaque formation. They were then
divided into five groups, four of which were fed high cholesterol diets,
one without rice and the others with various types of rice, including
black.
The plaque was 50% lower in rabbits fed black rice (or red rice) than in
those fed with white rice. Researchers conclude that the antioxidants
in black rice may play a role in reducing atherosclerosis.
That’s a highly artificial situation, but it does indicate black rice might help protect your heart and arteries.
Liver Health
The liver is one of our biggest organs, responsible for processing many nutrients from our food into materials that our body can use and regulating hormones.
According to some studies, black rice can play a role in liver health.
In 2012, the journal Nutrition & Metabolism published a study that examined the effects of black rice extract on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This common condition, which affects up to 90 million Americans (even children!), happens when fatty deposits form on the liver.
Mice with fatty liver disease were fed either a normal fat diet, high
fat diet, or a high fat diet supplemented with black rice extract.
After seven weeks, it was found that those mice fed the diet with black
rice had improved blood lipid levels and significantly lower levels of
triglycerides and total cholesterol than the others.
From this work, researchers were led to believe that black rice may play a role in preventing fatty liver disease.
It’s a bit early to go that far, but it could help you maintain a
healthy weight as part of a healthy diet. Maintaining a healthy weight
is the most important thing you can do to avoid fatty liver disease.
Cognitive Function
While I didn’t come across any studies that specifically looked at the
effects of black rice on memory and learning, there are plenty that link
antioxidants, in particular anthocyanin, with brain function.
Some researchers believe oxidative stress contributes to memory impairment, so it makes sense that antioxidants will counteract this to an extent.
A six year study
of over 16,000 patients found that eating anthocyanin-rich foods can
delay mental aging by up to two and a half years. The results also
showed that even greater intakes of anthocyanins and other flavonoids were associated with even slower rates of cognitive decline.
This particular group of antioxidants don’t just slow down the mental
aging process, they can also help boost learning and memory.
A 2009 study
on rats showed that those treated with anthocyanins displayed improved
learning and memory functions, over those that didn’t consume any
anthocyanins.
Like I said, these studies don’t specifically link black rice with
improved cognitive function, but there are some studies out there
linking the main antioxidant in black rice with better memory.
Anti-Cancer Effects
Anthocyanins, like other antioxidants, help protect the body from free-radical damage, which can lead to cancer.
The Journal Chemico-Biological Interactions published a study that looked at the ability of black rice anthocyanins to stop tumor metastasis, the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
This spread is a significant source of cancer death so scientists are constantly looking at ways to stop this from happening.
It was found in this particular study that the anthocyanins extracted
from black rice showed a ‘marked inhibition’ on the spread of certain
cancer cells.
A more recent study, from 2014, has also indicated that black rice anthocyanins have the potential to stop tumor metastasis in breast cancer cells.
Other studies show black rice’s ability to fight breast cancer by causing the cancer cells to die.
While these studies show that black rice shows some promise in
preventing the spread of cancer, it’s not by any means a cure. Much more
research needs to be carried out in this area.
Final Thoughts
Black rice certainly appears to have some health benefits, number one of those being its antioxidant content.
The antioxidant value of this rice doesn’t seem to be in dispute.
Other health effects of black rice, like its weight loss and anti-cancer claims, need a lot more investigation before we can say for sure if it works in these areas.
That said, I’m all for a varied diet so in my opinion any healthy foods
should be added in to a healthy eating plan to give us more variety.
Black rice is certainly a healthy food!
It also has a unique nutty flavor that I love!
So if you like rice and you like the sound of these health benefits,
then by all means try some of this ‘forbidden rice’. Just remember, it’s
not a ‘miracle cure’ for anything!