Pre-germinated brown rice could enhance maternal mental health and immunity during lactation.
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.
Sakamoto
Shigeko
S
Bio-Laboratory, Foundation for Advancement of International Science, 586-9 Akatsuka-Ushigafuchi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0062, Japan, hayashi@fais.or.jp.
Hayashi
Takashi
T
Hayashi
Keiko
K
Murai
Fumie
F
Hori
Miyo
M
Kimoto
Koichi
K
Murakami
Kazuo
K
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
D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D000681:Amylases; D007781:Lactoferrin