Just how popular is rice bran oil, often hailed as “heart-healthy oil”?

In daily life, people consume a wide variety of oils, including rice bran oil, which is highly nutritious and offers numerous health benefits. So what exactly is rice bran oil? What specific health benefits does it provide, and how does it enhance cooking? Let’s find out together!

1. Wide consumer base

In Japan, more than 40% of students consume rice bran oil. As is well known, Japanese people are “world-famous” for their long working hours, leading to a persistent problem of “karoshi” (death from overwork) and a large population suffering from suboptimal health. The government has even been compelled to enact legislation to address karoshi. Given the strong emphasis Japanese households place on healthy eating, the widespread use of rice bran oil is hardly surprising.

2. Long history

In fact, Japan has long been a rice-centric nation. Japanese chefs extract the essence from rice bran and germ to produce rice bran oil, which is widely used as a daily cooking oil due to its exceptionally high nutritional value. Rice bran oil has now replaced traditional edible fats and oils and has been designated by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as the exclusive cooking oil for school lunch programs in primary and secondary schools nationwide. As rice bran oil spread to Western and other developed countries, it came to be recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a healthy cooking oil. In China, the National Development and Reform Commission’s China Public Nutrition and Development Center has also recognized rice bran oil as a “National Nutrition and Health Advocacy Product.” Even earlier historical records, such as those found in the Compendium of Materia Medica and the Great Dictionary of Chinese Medicinal Cuisine, document its health-promoting properties. Rice bran oil not only offers significant benefits in improving and preventing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, but also provides anti-aging and skin-care effects, helping to delay cellular aging. Compared with olive oil, rice bran oil boasts a more balanced nutritional profile, earning it the nickname “the gold of the rice grain.”