Stabilized Rice Bran May Offer Additional Health Benefits for Horses

Stabilized rice bran is a natural source of high-quality fat that most horses find palatable. Owners frequently feed stabilized rice bran to horses to add or maintain weight, to offer energy in a way that avoids grains, and to improve coat condition, to name only a few.

“Rice bran is known to be high in natural sources of vitamin E and other antioxidants, as well as some proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals,” shared Clarissa Brown-Douglas, Ph.D., equine nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (Australia).

Although the equine industry seems to be most interested in stabilized rice bran for its high fat content and concentrated source of energy, researchers are eyeing other potential health benefits. The antioxidant component, for example, is of particular interest because antioxidants help protect cells and tissues from damage following exercise and injury.

Considering the health benefits associated with antioxidants, scientists are delving deeper into stabilized rice bran in an attempt to find “secret ingredients” to extract and use to treat specific conditions. For example:

• Studies in pigs* showed that stabilized rice bran appears to function as a prebiotic (a type of functional food that “feeds” the good microorganisms found in the gastrointestinal system). When fed to weanling pigs, stabilized rice bran increases the efficiency of nutrient utilization and increases Bifidobacterium concentrations (a probiotic organism).
• Stabilized rice bran** may regulate blood lipids and glucose, modulate gut mucosal immunity, inhibit colorectal cancer in animals and humans, and appears to promote the growth of probiotic organisms, including Bifidobacterium.
• Preliminary research also suggests stabilized rice bran has health benefits for humans with type 2 diabetes, different types of cancer, and Alzheimer’s.

“Other research+ noted that stabilized rice bran inhibits key enzymes in the inflammatory cascade that contributes to impaired joint health, pain, and arthritis. Thus, stabilized rice bran may also help horses with osteoarthritis,” said Brown-Douglas.

Before dashing to your local feed store, discuss the pros and cons of diet change with an equine nutritionist. Not all horses will benefit from the added energy (calories) and fat that stabilized rice bran provides.

* Herfel, T., S. Jacobi, X. Lin, X., et al. 2013. Stabilized rice bran improves weaning pig performance via a prebiotic mechanism. Journal of Animal Science.  91(2):907-913.

**Sheflin, A.M., E.C. Borresen, M.J. Wdowik, et al. 2015. Pilot dietary intervention with heat-stabilized rice bran modulates stool microbiota and metabolites in healthy adults. Nutrients. 7(2):1282-1300.

+Roschek, B. Jr., R.C. Fink, D. Li, et al. 2009. Pro-inflammatory enzymes, cyclooxygenase 1, cyclooxygenase 2, and 5-lipooxygenase, inhibited by stabilized rice bran extracts. Journal of Medicinal Food. 12(3):615-623.