Edrisi F, et al. - The authors compared the effects of supplementation with rice husk powder and rice bran on inflammatory factors in overweight and obese adults following an energy-restricted diet. In this randomized trial, they found positive effects of rice bran and rice husk powder supplementation on inflammatory markers, combined with an energy-restricted diet, among overweight and obese adults.

• The authors assigned 105 eligible individuals to 1 of the 3 energy-restricted diet groups receiving; rice bran (n = 35), rice husk powder (n = 35), and control group (n = 35) for 12 weeks.
• They measured demographic data, dietary intake, anthropometric indices and inflammatory factors (serum levels of IL-6 and hs-CRP) at baseline and at the end of the study.

• In all groups, weight, BMI, and waist circumference reduced significantly after 12 weeks of study (P < 0.01 for all).
• However, between groups, pre- and post-measure differences were not significant.
• Furthermore, between participants in the rice bran or rice husk groups, serum levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 were not significantly different.
• Nonetheless, when compared to the control group, the reduction in serum levels of hs-CRP in rice husk (mean change = - 0.14 ± 0.05 μg/ml) and rice bran (mean change = - 0.13 ± 0.03 μg/ml) was significantly higher (mean change = - 0.03 ± 0.02 μg/ml) (P < 0.05 for both groups).
• The authors found the same pattern when changes in IL-6 serum levels of participants in rice husk (mean change = - 0.48 ± 0.11 pg/ml) and rice bran (mean change = - 0.57 ± 0.13 pg/ml) groups were compared to the control group (mean change= - 0.19 ± 0.07 pg/ml) (P < 0.05 for both groups).