Health Benefits Of Bran

The current health craze in our location is about the health benefits of bran; oat bran to be exact. The company that first introduced this oat bran product spent millions in advertisements across the media board, covering every radio channel and every television channel for months and even today you still got to tolerate those advertisements which have become more of an irritant than anything else. It is no joke that if you are bombarded daily on the health benefits of oat bran, your brain will be affected and brain-washed. This is true; even I am being brained-washed! And here I am, writing about the health benefits of bran!

In any cereal grain such as oats, wheat, barley, rice and corn, there is a hard outer layer covering the inner grain. This hard outer later is bran. Bran together with germ, is an integral part of the whole grain. Bran is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. It is also commonly called miller’s bran. The most common milling process is for rice, where the brownish bran is removed to produce white rice.

Bran should not be confused with chaff, which is the coarser scaly material surrounding the grain, but not forming part of the grain itself.

Bran is a popular natural supplement to improve health. Bran contains the vital substance called beta-glucan, which can reduce cholesterol level and promote good health. The two most popular bran are oat bran and wheat bran. Oats as a whole are from whole grains, have less soluble fiber, and contain excessive sugar and salt, especially instant oatmeals. Oat bran has five times more beta-glucan.

Bran has B-complex vitamins, especially thiamine and riboflavin, both generate energy for the body. Bran has mineral contents of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron and zinc. Magnesium promotes calcium absorption and retention. Iron is a component of haemoglobin in red blood cells which carry oxygen to all parts of the body, while zinc is essential for growth.

Below are four main benefits of consuming bran:

Reducing bad LDL-cholesterol level: One of the key factors to a healthy heart is to maintain a healthy level of blood cholesterol. Beta-glucan can reduce the bad LDL-cholesterol without affecting the good HDL-cholesterol level. High blood cholesterol is one of the modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Beta-glucan contains soluble fiber and when it is digested it turns into gel lining the intestinal wall. This gel lining on the intestinal wall will block the cholesterol and fats from being absorbed into the blood stream, thereby simply discharging them as wastes, and not building up the bad cholesterol level. The amount of beta-glucan needed per day to reduce cholesterol level is 3 gm.

Enhancing the intestinal health: Beta-glucan is indigestible in the small intestine, turning into prebiotics which will stimulate growth of probiotics in the digestive system, enhancing the intestinal health.

Weight management: When bran is consumed 20 or 30 minutes before meal, it will help in weight management. Beta-glucan in bran is a water soluble fiber and will form into a thick viscous gel in the stomach and intestine stimulating the feeling of fullness. This helps the person to reduce the urge for food.

Glucose control: The soluble fiber of beta-glucan can slow down digestion and delay the uptake of carbohydrates from the small intestine. This will result in lower blood concentration of glucose and insulin after a meal. Improved insulin responses can lead to enhanced insulin sensitivity, which may prevent type-2 diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer. WHO estimated that 17 million lives were lost due to cardiovascular disease. Every one in three persons around the world dies of heart attack. (In my opinion, come to think of it, if one is already old, dying of heart attack is not that bad, instead of suffering a long illness and bed ridden before dying.)

In our country, Malaysia, the following data are given by the Health Ministry:

10,000 deaths yearly linked to stroke and heart attack.

3 million with high cholesterol

110 new stroke cases daily

6,000 deaths a year due to heart disease

40,000 new cases of heart disease yearly

25% Malaysians develop obesity-linked cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Here are the ten pointers you may like to take note.

1.Heart attack and stroke are major but preventable killers.

2.CVD occurs equally on both sexes. CVD of females higher risk after menopause.

3.Smoking increases risk of heart attack and stroke.

4.Exercise at least 30 minutes a day will reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.

5.Eat plenty of fruits and veggies to stay healthy.

6.Reduce salt and sugar intake.

7.High blood pressure has no symptom, but can cause a sudden stroke or heart attack. Check your blood pressure regularly.

8.Diabetes increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

9.Overweight increases risk of heart attack and stroke.

10.Reduce alcohol and junk food consumption.

Copyright © Justin Choo. All Rights Reserved.

The information provided in this article is sourced from the internet, from friends and contacts, and from personal experience. This article does not claim the information provided is totally accurate and reliable. The purpose of this article is merely to share health information which I deem useful.

You are therefore advised to consult your registered medical physicians as a matter of due diligence.