A vitamin found in rice melts cholesterol and combats liver cancer, it has been claimed. The supplement - know as TRF - reduced cholesterol levels in rats by 42% - more than half of it so called "bad cholesterol".
Trials have also shown the substance, a type of vitamin E, could also be effective in humans.
TRF is found in barley, oats and wholegrain rice, with the best kind coming from rice bran oil contained in the outer husks of rice grains. It is thought to work by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme involved in producing cholesterol.
New York based researcher Dr. Mohammed Minhajuddin carried out a limited study in his home country of India. Five volunteers with normal cholesterol levels were given a low dose of TRF every day for 4 weeks. They saw their levels drop by 10% with a 26% decline in bad cholesterol.
The substance appeared to have a big impact on one five year old. He was born with a genetic defect that caused his cholesterol to soar. After taking TRF for 2 months it fell by a fifth but, after almost 2 years of treatment, rose again.
Dr. Minhajuddin, whose findings were published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, has previously shown that TRF clears toxins from the liver and can reduce or stabilise liver tumours. He said the antioxidant properties of rice bran oil "are becoming more noteworthy in scientific research".
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