Hiberry

Eating brown rice helps slow the rise of blood sugar in diabetic patients, but Thais in the era of globalization have no opportunity or time to prepare brown rice to eat. Research has found that rice bran is the key to resisting sugar release, so a supplement was developed from low-glycemic-index rice bran, using bran from which oil has been cold pressed and mixed with other ingredients to make rice bran pills.

The advantage of this form of supplement is that it is portable and can replace eating brown rice. Hiberry is a rice bran dietary supplement that helps slow the rise of blood sugar and lowers cholesterol. It suits diabetic patients who want to control blood sugar and treat hardening of the arteries caused by the buildup of saturated fatty acids. Hiberry  is rich in many nutrients, such as protein, unsaturated fat, dietary fiber and vitamin B1, and especially various antioxidants that can help improve or eliminate free radicals, helping reduce the chance of colon, leukemia and breast cancers, helping the liver stay healthy so insulin is secreted more normally, helping blood circulate better and reducing thick blood. It is also high in fiber, helping good bowel movement. 

“Hiberry is made from Riceberry bran obtained from the standard mill ‘Thanyaosot’ and processed through a germ-free production process  by Lee Buan Sua Drugstore (Fishhook brand)”

Research funding was received fromthe National Research Council of Thailand

Table: nutrient content of Hiberry rice bran pill supplement

How to take  Take 15 pills at a time, before meals, 3 times a day. 

Warning  Do not consume more than the recommended daily nutrient intake for Thais aged 6 years and over. Eat food from all 5 food groups regularly. Children and pregnant women should not take it. Patients with thalassemia should consult a doctor first.

Study results in diabetic rats  To test the efficacy of the Riceberry bran supplement, it was tested in diabetic rats, compared with coenzyme Q10, which has an effect in controlling blood sugar.

Supplementing the diet with rice bran in type 1 diabetic rats gave satisfactory results Rats induced to have type 1 diabetes tended to have good blood sugar reduction when given a 1.5% rice bran supplement, as seen from the downward trend of blood sugar and the upward trend of insulin, with no harmful or toxic effect on the liver and kidneys. In addition, the rice bran supplement lowered total cholesterol and LDL “bad cholesterol” and tended to improve free radicals in the blood.

Rice bran supplement can lower high blood sugar in type 2 diabetic rats Rats induced to have high blood sugar, the early stage of type 2 diabetes, showed a reduction in blood sugar when given a 3% rice bran pill supplement, but there was no synergy with coenzyme Q10. Moreover, the rice bran supplement had a synergistic effect with coenzyme Q10 in lowering LDL fat. In addition, all supplement groups tended to reduce free radicals in the liver and pancreas, with no harmful effect on kidney function.

Medically active compounds found in Riceberry bran Analysis of the components in all 9 extract fractions found compounds with reported biological activity or in groups likely to have biological activity. One important compound is lupeol, which belongs to the steroid group. Reports have described the benefits of lupeol in inhibiting cancer cells and addressing hardening of the arteries, as it is a very good antioxidant.

Effect of rice bran extracts on cancer cells The Riceberry bran extract was tested for anti-carcinogenic activity in 3 types of cancer cells: colon cancer, breast cancer and leukemia cells. Test results showed that the black rice bran extract was effective in inhibiting cell growth and inducing death in all three types of cancer cells, with the dichloromethane extract being the most effective and having a good effect in inhibiting leukemia cells.