Abstract: Rice bran is the outer layer of rice grain and a by-product after milling rice kernels, with high nutritional and therapeutic value. Rice bran is abundant in dietary fibres, vitamins, minerals, polyphenolic and diverse antioxidant molecules. The health-promoting effect of rice bran or its biomolecules was documented in various investigations. In this review, we evaluate different nutritive and health promoting effect of rice bran particularly its effect on gut health and other chronic conditions associated with gut health. Biomolecules present in rice bran and its potential therapeutic effects were also summarized. This paper also recapitulates potential therapeutic or preventive efficacy of rice bran against diverse aliments, along with their mechanism of action. Rice bran is an important source of nutritive substances. Besides their nutritive value rice bran is abundant with diverse biomolecules such as anthocyanin, flavonoids and phenolics, γ-oryzanol, phytosterols and derivatives, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Dietary fibres of rice bran play a key role in modulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation and maintaining gut health. Rice bran or its components found to exhibit therapeutic benefits against inflammation, diabetes, cancer, liver, cardiac and neurological disorders through diverse mechanisms. Different clinical investigations also confirmed the potential beneficial effect of rice bran, and rice bran oil in different metabolic and cardiac disease conditions. Modulating gut microbiota is an important mechanism of beneficial effects exerted by rice bran. This comprehensive review underscores the nutritional and therapeutic value of rice bran, emphasizing its potential for wider adoption to address nutrient deficiencies and improve human health.

Key words: rice bran oil, nutritional moieties, gut health, molecular mechanism