Purple rice is a rich source of dietary fiber which is important to keep your digestive system working properly. The proper amount of fiber in your diet helps to prevent constipation and other digestive problems. However, dietary fiber has also been linked with preventing heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and elevated blood sugar levels.9
Purple rice can also help you to lose weight. Researchers in South Korea found that women who replaced white rice with a mixture of brown and purple rice saw a significant reduction in body fat and weight. The group that had the purple rice also showed higher levels of “good cholesterol.”10
By replacing white rice in your diet with purple rice, you may find that it’s easier to lose weight and cholesterol at the same time.
Purple rice for liver health
The antioxidant properties of purple rice can also help to detoxify your liver and improve liver function. A healthy liver is necessary to filter out toxins from your blood and break down fats from food. The liver also plays an important role in regulating glucose levels in the blood.
The journal Nutrition & Metabolism published a study showing that black (or purple) rice increased fatty acid metabolism and helped to reduce the risk of elevated blood sugar levels and high cholesterol. There was also a lower risk of developing liver disease thanks to the antioxidant effect of purple rice on the liver.11
Other studies have also shown that the therapeutic properties of purple rice can also help to restore the function of livers that had been damaged by alcohol.12
Purple rice regulates blood sugar levels
As the studies in the previous section show, purple rice helps to regulate blood sugar levels and can be used as an important food to help control diabetes.
In fact, substituting white rice for purple rice in your diet could help prevent you developing type 2 diabetes. White rice is classed as a simple carbohydrate, meaning that it quickly spikes sugar levels. However, the dietary fiber in whole grain rice (for example, purple rice) can help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost 40%.13
Purple rice has anti-cancer effect
The antioxidant anthocyanins in purple rice also helps to protect from cell damage in the body that can cause cancer. In fact, extracts from purple rice have been shown to have an anti-cancer effect and prevent the growth and spread of tumors.
Researchers from Taiwan discovered that, in laboratory conditions, the dark pigments called anthocyanins in purple rice stopped cancer cells from spreading (tumor metastasis).14 Other studies have shown positive results in using the anti-metastasis ability of anthocyanins in preventing breast cancer cells from spreading.15
Of course, more research has to be carried out to see how the antioxidant properties of pigmented rice like purple rice can be used in the treatment of cancer.
Improves brain function
The antioxidant effect of anthocyanins also has a beneficial effect on improving brain function. This means that purple rice can help to improve your memory impairment and prevent or reduce the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and depression.
Various studies into the effects of anthocyanins have found that foods containing these compounds have a beneficial effect on cognitive function. For example, a 6-year long study published in the Annals of Neurology showed that anthocyanin-rich foods (like purple rice) can help slow down the rates of cognitive decline. In fact, the researchers found that on average cognitive aging was delayed by 2 ½ years.16
Clinical studies also showed that anthocyanins helped to improve learning capacity and reduce symptoms of depression. 17
By adding more purple rice to your diet or taking purple rice supplements, you could help to boost your memory and prevent premature cognitive aging.
Cooking With Purple Rice
Purple rice is cooked and used the same way as you would cook and prepare brown rice – For every one cup of purple rice, you need 2 cups of water. Because purple rice is less refined, you have to steam it for longer. To speed up the cooking process, you can soak the rice for one hour beforehand.
Bring the rice to the boil and then simmer for around 30 minutes on a very low heat. If you were not able to soak the rice beforehand, it may take up to 60 minutes to cook. The rice will have a chewy texture.
Where to buy purple rice
You can buy purple rice at many health food shops or stores selling Asian foodstuffs. Also, many online retailers sell purple rice.
