The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed to add brown rice list of whole grains that may make health claims including reducing the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Brown rice had previously been excluded because its dietary fiber content was considered too low but will now be allowed to display a whole grains logo and information pointing out the benefits of consuming whole grains.
Whole grain foods can help reduce the risk of heart disease and many cancers, health officials say.
"Rice is the most popular grain around the world, which makes brown rice a great choice for increasing whole grain intake," says Joann Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., whole grains expert and Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota.
"In the United States, where chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancers are common, encouraging whole grain brown rice consumption could have a significant public health impact."
Brown rice contains beneficial phytonutrients including antioxidants, anthocyanins, phytosterols, tocopherols oryzanol and many other potentially protective substances that have been found to help reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, type II diabetes and potentially aid in weight maintenance.
Brown rice also contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including B-vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, iron, and 2 grams of fiber per one half cup of cooked rice.
U.S. dietary guidelines recommend "making half of all grain servings whole" or consuming three whole grain servings per day in the average 2000-calorie diet.
Yet data from a recent consumer survey conducted by EatingWell magazine and the USA Rice Federation show that the majority of Americans (65 percent) don't eat anywhere this amount.
Under the reform, all single ingredient whole grain foods are eligible to make the health claim as long as they meet broad health claim requirements.
The dietary fiber aspect of the health claim has been a bone of contention since 1999 when the claim was established because it favored high fiber content over total nutritional composition.
The fiber relaxation will please groups such as the flax industry that are yet to receive the approval brown rice has won, a cause of acrimony to an industry that feels unfairly persecuted by anachronistic laws.
According to the EatingWell/USA Rice survey:
• 87 percent of US consumers know that whole grains are good for them.
• 80 percent know whole grains can be protective against cardiovascular disease, but less than two-thirds are aware they also offer protection against certain cancers.
• While 80 percent of consumers know that brown rice is a whole grain, more than 80 percent also mistakenly think that bran cereal and breads marked simply as "wheat" are also whole grains.
• 80 percent of individuals said they would be likely to eat more whole grains if these foods were clearly labeled as whole grains
• 68 percent said they would increase consumption if the health benefits were stated on the package.
Research indicates rice eaters are more likely to meet dietary guidelines than non-rice eaters.
