Wheat bran particle size and health effects in rats
What it found
In rats fed a high-fat diet for 5 weeks, adding wheat bran reduced weight gain and improved blood sugar, cholesterol and liver measures.
Coarse bran had a bigger effect than ultra-fine bran.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Weight gain
Rats on the high-fat diet gained more weight. Adding either coarse or ultra-fine wheat bran reduced weight gain.
Blood sugar
The high-fat diet raised blood sugar. Both types of wheat bran lowered it.
Blood and liver fats
The high-fat diet increased total cholesterol and triglycerides in blood and liver. Both wheat bran types reduced these levels.
Cholesterol balance
Both wheat bran types lowered low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and raised high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood.
Oxidative stress marker
The high-fat diet raised malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress. Both wheat bran types reduced it.
Particle size comparison
Coarse wheat bran had a stronger effect than ultra-fine wheat bran on the measures studied.
What the authors conclude
“The results suggest that micronized wheat bran significantly improves anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective properties that might provide a safeguard to protect humans against metabolic syndrome abnormalities and other acute, recurrent, or chronic diseases.”
Also in their conclusions
- They suggest that micronized wheat bran significantly improves anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective properties.
- They say this might provide a safeguard to protect humans against metabolic syndrome abnormalities and other acute, recurrent, or chronic diseases.
How it was done
Wheat bran is known to have health benefits for conditions like diabetes and heart disease, but its effects on obesity, high blood sugar, liver damage and high blood fats were not clear.
Rats were fed a high-fat diet for 5 weeks. Some groups also got coarse wheat bran (427.55 µm) or ultra-fine wheat bran (11.63 µm). The researchers measured body weight, blood sugar, liver and blood fat levels.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a study in rats, so it cannot show what happens in people.
- The rats were fed a high-fat diet for only 5 weeks, so the long-term effects are unknown.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Anhui Natural Sciences Foundation; Anhui Sciences and Technology Plant Project (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Anhui Agricultural University, China
The paper
- Title
- Anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective properties of wheat bran with different particle sizes
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Junejo SA, Zhang L, Yang L, et al (2019). Anti-hyperlipidemic and hepatoprotective properties of wheat bran with different particle sizes. Journal of the science of food and agriculture. doi:10.1002/jsfa.9397PubMed 30270442DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error