Brown Rice and Breast Cancer: How Brown Rice Benefits Women

Brown rice requires the least processing, which keeps the majority of the nutrients in place. Brown rice contains a variety of different nutrients, such as magnesium, selenium and manganese. Many studies have been done to see if brown rice has benefits for breast cancer. Here we will break down what these studies had to say about brown rice and breast cancer.

UK Women's Cohort Study

This study hosted 35,972 women who were pre-menopausal. These women ate a diet rich in fiber and fruit. The fiber came brown rice and other whole grains. In the women in this study, this diet showed that it offered them significant protection against developing breast cancer.

The pre-menopausal women than consumed the most fiber reduced their risk of breast cancer by about 52 percent compared to women who consumed a diet with the least fiber.

Women who had high-fiber diets supplied mostly by whole grains had the most protection against breast cancer.

Fruit source fiber also offered women protection from breast cancer. This gave women about a 29 percent reduced risk. So, brown rice and other whole grain sources still win out.

Other Women's Health Benefits of Brown Rice

Reducing your risk of breast cancer is a big deal, but brown rice does not stop there. It may also help you weigh less. One study showed that choosing brown rice over white rice was a good way to maintain a healthy body weight.

Whole brown rice contains oil that may help to lower your cholesterol. A study performed by Marlene Most and some of here Louisiana State University Colleagues looked at how rice bran oil and rice bran effected moderately elevated cholesterol levels in volunteers. The results show that bad cholesterol levels were lowered with rice bran oil.

Postmenopausal women can enjoy significant cardiovascular benefits with regular brown rice consumption. Eating it six time a week is a good goal if you have signs of cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. A study showed that eating it at this rate lessened the progression of stenosis and slowed the progression of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.

In addition to the above, brown rice has other benefits for women. It contains a phytonutrient known as lignans. These many protect your against heart disease. This whole grain may help to reduce the risk of you developing metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes and gallstones.

Resources

WHFoods: Brown Rice