title: Pre-germinated brown rice could enhance maternal mental health and immunity during lactation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rice is a dietary staple worldwide, especially pre-germinated brown rice has recently been widely served in Japan because of its abundant nutrition. Relationship between lactation and pre-germinated brown rice has attracted interest in terms of mental health and immunity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate that Japanese foods are beneficial for psychosomatic health, the effects of pre-germinated brown rice on the mental status and immunological features during lactation were investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one breast-feeding mothers were recruited, and randomly divided into two groups. One group took pre-germinated brown rice and the other white rice (control) as their staple diet for 2 weeks. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) and salivary amylase activity as psychological indices and secretory IgA (s-IgA) and lactoferrin (LTF) in breast milk as immunological indices were determined before and after dietary intervention, and changes were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the psychological assessment, the scores of depression, anger-hostility, and fatigue were decreased on POMS analysis in the pre-germinated brown rice diet group, resulting in a significant decrease in total mood disturbance (TMD). The salivary amylase activity measurement suggested that resistance to stress was increased in the pre-germinated brown rice diet group. On the immunological assessment, the s-IgA level was significantly increased in the pre-germinated brown rice diet group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown that pre-germinated brown rice may have beneficial effects on psychosomatic health.
authors: Bio-Laboratory, Foundation for Advancement of International Science, 586-9 Akatsuka-Ushigafuchi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0062, Japan, hayashi@fais.or.jp.
authors: Shigeko
authors: S
authors: Sakamoto
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Hayashi
authors: Keiko
authors: K
authors: Hayashi
authors: Fumie
authors: F
authors: Murai
authors: Miyo
authors: M
authors: Hori
authors: Koichi
authors: K
authors: Kimoto
authors: Kazuo
authors: K
authors: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000681:Amylases / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018525:Germination; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis; D007774:Lactation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000032:analysis; D008603:Mental Health; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*; D012463:Saliva / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D000681:Amylases; D007781:Lactoferrin