Effects of rice fiber on fecal weight, apparent digestibility of energy, nitrogen and fat, and degradation of neutral detergent fiber in young men.

The effects of rice fiber on fecal weight, transit time, frequency of defecations, digestibility of nutrients and blood status were investigated in 5 healthy young men. Each of them consumed a brown rice diet and then a polished rice diet for 2 weeks respectively. Both diets contained 1.2 g protein per kg body weight. The brown rice diet contained 2 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. When they consumed the brown rice diet, it showed an increase of fecal weight and decrease of digestibility of energy, nitrogen and fat. Nitrogen balance was not significantly different and kept zero balance on both diets. Concentration of plasma cholesterol was not significantly different. The results suggest that rice fiber produced an increase in fecal weight, which is assumed to be effective in preventing colonic disease in advanced countries and does not affect plasma lipid level.