Potential Effects of Pigmented rice on Immunity: A Review Focusing on Anthocyanins, Gamma-oryzanol, and Arabinoxylan

Functional food ingredients from natural sources are gaining popularity for treating chronic inflammation associated with metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, and obesity) due to their lower toxicity and no severe side effects. Pigmented rice is a natural food source in Korea commonly consumed in the whole grain form to improve the immune system. In particular, pigmented rice bran contains various nutritional components involved in the immune benefits. Of many nutrients in pigmented rice bran, anthocyanins, gamma-oryzanol, and arabinoxylan have notably shown to enhance natural killer cell activity and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Especially, pigmented rice has higher amounts of anthocyanins and gamma-oryzanol than white rice. In this review, to provide further insight into the immune effects of the pigmented rice, we have focused on the immune benefits of bioactive substances (e.g., anthocyanins, gamma-oryzanol, and arabinoxylan) from pigmented rice compared to white rice. The pigmented rice has potential effects on immunity, and it can be used as a functional food.