Glycative Stress Research
Online edition : ISSN 2188-3610
Print edition : ISSN 2188-3602
Received : August 15, 2020
Accepted : September 17, 2020
Published online : September 30, 2020
doi:10.24659/gsr.7. 3_248

Original article

Effects on skin by sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice (Kinmemai rice):
An open label test.
Pasandee Ursula Wickramasinghe 1), Shiori Uenaka 1), Zheng Tian 1), Marin Kawakami 2), Ryo Yamaguchi 2),
Naoki Nishiyama 2), Keiji Saika 2, 3), Masayuki Yagi 1), Yoshikazu Yonei 1)
1) Anti-Aging Medical Research Center and Glycative Stress Research Center, Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences,
Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
2) Toyo Rice Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
3) Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

Purpose: In this study, we compared the subjective symptoms and changes in skin condition of university students that
consumed sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice (SARFR; Kinmemai rice) for one month, with polished rice free intake
group.
Method: The 59 subjects analyzed consisted of 37 in the SARFR group (24 males, 13 females 21.0 ± 1.5 years), and 22 in
the control group (13 males, 9 females, 22.0 ± 1.2 years). In the SARFR group, 150 g or more of the test meal was ingested
once a day for one month. In the control group, normal ingestion of polished rice was freely decided by participants. Before
and after the test, the questionnaire, skin function by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex), and skin AGEs fluorescence by AGEs sensor (Sharp)
were evaluated.
Results: SARFR intake compliance was 84 %, and no adverse events due to dyspepsia were observed. Skin age wassignificantly improved in the SARFR group compared to the control. This effect was remarkable for males and home students,
and was not observed in boarding house students. There was no significant difference in skin AGEs fluorescence.
Conclusion: It was suggested that SARFR contributes to health promotion, including skin condition, by reducing theindigestibility of brown rice and ensuring nutrition, which facilitates continuous intake.

KEY WORDS: brown rice, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice (Kinmemai rice), skin condition,

		advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs)

Introduction
One of the reasons why Japanese people have healthy
longevity is because of their characteristic eating habits thatdiffer from those of Western cultures. However, in recent
years, diseases related to high glycative stress, i.e., obesity,and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been increasing.
Longitudinal medical surveys of Japanese Americans haveshown that those who were originally obese are at increased
risk of developing T2DM due to excessive fat intake 1). Even if

the persons are lean, excessive carbohydrate intake increases
the risk of obesity. To prevent obesity and T2DM, it isimportant to improve lifestyle habits such as diet “Shokuiku”
and exercise “Taiiku”. This study focused on the viewpointof food education on rice, which is the main staple food of
the Japanese.
It has been pointed out that rice-based food has advantages
over wheat-based food, such as being gluten-free 2, 3) andhaving less fecal incontinence in the elderly 4). On the other
hand, with regard to postprandial hyperglycemia (PPHG)

Contact Address: Professor Yoshikazu Yonei, MD, PhD
Anti-Aging Medical Research Center, Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences,
Doshisha University
1- 3 Tatara Miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto, 610-0394 Japan
TEL & Fax: +81-774-65-6394 e-mail: yyonei@mail.doshisha.ac.jp
Co-authors: Wickramasinghe PU, cygb2502@mail.doshisha.ac.jp;
Uenaka S, ctud2025@mail4.doshisha.ac.jp; Tian Z, tomtomtom1990@hotmail.com;
Kawakami M, kawakami-marin@toyo-rice. jp; Yamaguchi R, r -yamaguchi@toyo-rice. jp;
Nishiyama N, nishiyama@toyo-rice. jp; Saika K, somu@toyo-rice. jp;
Yagi M, myagi@mail.doshisha.ac. jp_ 248 _

Glycative Stress Research 2020; 7 ( 3) : 248-257(c) Society for Glycative Stress ResearchGlycative Stress Researchby ingestion alone, cooked rice has some disadvantages
compared to pasta 5). This point can be improved by devising
the order and combination of eating, i.e., mabo-dofu withrice (mabo-don) 6), or beef bowl 7). Although most of the rice
food is polished rice, it is clear that the brown rice is richin vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber and is nutritionallysuperior. However, there are many individuals who cannot
eat brown rice for an extended period of time, and only a few
people continue to eat it.
Regarding brown rice, it is known that there is aproblem in compliance with continuous intake, and there
are few reports of clinical trials so far 8). Compliance means“observing the instructions”, and in this study, it represents
the rate at which brown rice can be continuously ingested as
instructed. Various measures have been attempted to reducethe disadvantage of indigestion while utilizing the nutritional
advantages of brown rice. Sub-aleurone layer residual rinsefree rice (SARFR), also known as Kinmemai rice, is arice that has peeled the indigestible outer layer ( i.e., rind,
pericarp), leaving the parts including a highly nutritive subaleurone layer, embryo base (“kinme”) 9) and the boundarywith endosperm, thus being tasty and looking the same aswhite polished rice. In this study, we examined the changes
in the subjective symptoms, skin function, and the amountof accumulated advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs),
which is an index of glycative stress, when the test product
SARFR was ingested in young subjects for one month, andfurthermore compared with a group that freely ingested
purified rice.

Methods
Subjects
The subjects were men and women students from a
university in Tokyo. This study was conducted with 61
subjects who agreed to participate in this trial in advance inwriting, who met the selection criteria, did not conflict withthe exclusion criteria, and were judged to be appropriate toparticipate by the principal investigator.
The selection criteria are shown below.
1) Men and women 18 to 60 years old at the time when theconsent for participation in the study was obtained.
2) Persons in good health without chronic physical illness,
including skin diseases.
3) Persons with the ability to give consent after receiving anadequate explanation of the purpose and content of thestudy, and who volunteer to participate at their own accord
after proper understanding and provide a written consent
to participate in this study.
4) Persons who can come on the designated examination
date to undergo examination.
5) Persons determined to be suitable as a subject of thisstudy by the principal investigator.
The exclusion criteria are shown below.
1) Persons who are currently receiving medication due toillness2) Persons with a history of, or currently suffering from
impaired glucose tolerance, mental illness, sleep disorders,
hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, or a serious
illness.
3) Persons who have been taking drugs for the treatmentof a disease for the past one month (excluding thosewith a history of taking temporary-relief medication forheadaches, menstrual pain, and cold)4) Persons with a history of, or currently suffering from asevere disease of the liver, kidney, heart, lungs, digestiveorgans, or a hematologic disease.
5) Persons with a history of, or currently suffering froma severe disease of the gastrointestinal tract, excluding
appendicitis.
6) Persons with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30
kg/m2.
7) Those who may have allergic reactions to the test food,and those who may have serious allergic reactions to otherfoods or drugs.
8) Women pregnant, lactating or possibly pregnant.
9) Currently, and within the past 3 months, those who havea habit of continuously ingesting functional foods andhealth foods that claim to be related to skin quality
improvement, and those who plan to take them during
the test period (ingestion for the purpose of maintaining
health was permitted).
10) Person with photosensitivity.
11) Persons who have been determined by the principal
investigator as not suitable to be a subject of this study.

Figure 1 shows the transition of the number of test
subjects. The breakdown of 59 subjects analyzed was 37
in the SARFR group (24 men and 13 women) and 22 in thecontrol group (13 men and 9 women). The average age ofeach group was 21.0 ± 1.5 years in the SARFR group (men21.4 ± 1.2 years, women 20.2 ± 1.7 years) and 22.0 ± 1.2
years in the control group (men 22.4 ± 1.2 years, women 21.4
± 1.0 years).

Exam design
This study was an open label study between parallelgroups.
The SARFR group ingested SARFR, and the control
group freely ingested normal polished rice without SARFR.
The SARFR group ingested the test product once a day
during the test period by any of the following methods.
· Cook the SARFR in the cafeteria, weigh it, and prepare
at least 150 g or more for ingestion.
· Heat the packaged SARFR (160 g) in a microwave ovenand ingest it.
The test product was provided by Toyo Rice Co., Ltd.
(Wakayama, Japan). The subjects participated in the preingestion test for one day, the ingestion period for 33 days,
and the post-intake test for one day.
Pre-intake tests for each group include a backgroundsurvey by filling out a questionnaire, survey of lifestyle andskin condition by filling out a questionnaire, skin condition
measurement by a device Clreo-Pro (Fujitex, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo), skin AGEs score by an AGEs sensor device (RQ-

_ 249 _

Effects of Sub-Aleurone-Remaining Rinse-Free Rice

AG01J: Sharp Life Sciences, present Air Water Biodesign,
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan). Post-ingestion tests included a surveyof lifestyle-related and skin conditions, skin condition
measurement, and AGEs score. In both the pre-ingestion test
and the post-intake test, female subjects washed their face 20
minutes or more prior to the test to remove cosmetics, andperformed skin diagnostic measurements after acclimation.
The test period was from June 2019 to July 2019.

Sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice (SARFR)SARFR is the rice produced by the special riceprocessing as follows; the rice hulls (chaff), wax layer (rind),and bran layer, in order from the outside, were scraped offfrom the whole chaff, leaving the sub-aleurone layer, scutellaof the germinal base (kinme) and the endosperm boundary towhich the scutellum adheres (Fig. 2). Rice husk is inedible,
the wax layer hinders water absorption and the bran layer
is not tasty. The sub-aleurone layer is located between the
starch layer and the bran layer, and is rich in the nutritional
components of brown rice; it has a unique flavor andsweetness with a favorable taste. The nutritional components
vary depending on the amount of soil microbes and themethod of processing. In general, SARFR contains twice asmuch vitamin B1 and E as conventional polished rice, 1.5
times more dietary fiber, and more carbohydrate (probiotics)
that adjusts the gastrointestinal environment by immersion in
the cooking process or other factors; maltose reaches about
60 times, oligosaccharides 12 times, and lipopolysaccharide(LPS) reaches 6 times that of polished rice.

Evaluation item
Skin index
The skin indices includuded functions, skin age, overallskin health, pores, wrinkles, moisture, elasticity, skin tone,
pigmentation (epidermis layer, dermis layer), oil content, andporphyrin, that were measured by Clreo-Pro.

AGEs measurement

Fig. 1. Changes in the number of test subjects.

The AGEs score was measured using AGEs sensors 10, 11).

Germ
Base of germ(kinme)Wax layer
Bran layer
Sub-aleurone
layer
Starch layer
Endosperm

Sub-aleurone
layer
Starch layer

Rice-hulls (chaff)

Whole riceFig. 2

SARFR

Fig. 2. Structure of rice and SARFR.

SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice.

_ 25 0 _Glycative Stress Researchwhich has discussed the ethics and validity of the study.
The clinical trial for this study was pre-registered (UMIN#000037017).

Subjective symptoms
The contents of the questionnaire were questions aboutchanges in eating habits, lifestyle habits (exercise, sleep,bowel movements, drinking, smoking, and mental stress),and skin conditions. The average value of compliance (theintake rate of the test product) was calculated based on thequestionnaire.

Results
Compliance
Compliance in the SARFR group was 84%; 2 out of
39 dropped out (dropout rate 5 %) and there was no dropout
due to test product intake (Fig. 1). In the control group, 0 outof 61 dropped out. The reason for the dropout was due topersonal circumstances.

Statistical analysis
For analysis, a software SPSS (Statistics25: IBM Japan,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan) was used to perform paired-t test or
Wilcoxon signed rank test. A risk rate of less than 5% was
defined as a significant difference.

Subjective symptoms

Ethical standards

There were no significant findings regarding lifestyle
habits (i.e., exercise, sleep, bowel movements, drinking,smoking, stress), and subjective symptoms regarding skinconditions.

This study was conducted in compliance with the
Declaration of Helsinki (revised at the 2013 WMA Fortaleza
General Assembly) and the ethical guidelines for humanbased medical research (notification by Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [MEXT]
and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare [MHLW]). This
research obtained the approval of the Ethical Committee of
the Society for Glycative Stress Research (GSE 2019-004),

Skin index

Table 1 shows the results of the skin index. Regarding
the skin age (variation), the value in the SARFR group was

Table 1. Results of skin condition and AGEs fluorescence.

Age (years)
Pores (%)
Wrinkles (%)
Pigmentation (PL)stratum corneum (%)
Pigmentation (UV)
stratum corneum (%)
Porphyrin
Skin tone
Elastisity (angle)
Skin health score
Skin age (year)
AGEs score

SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control
SARFR
Control

Before ingestion

One month afteringestion

Mean

Mean

21.0
22.0
- 0.9
- 2.0
2.8
0.5
2.9
1.9
6.3
3.9
34.0
32.8
62.0
61.7
4 5. 84 2.7
4 3. 2
47. 3
21. 5
22. 2
0. 4 3
0.4 4

±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±

SD

1.5
1.2
12.1
13.5
8.2
6.1
5.3
4.1
7.9
5.3
8.5
9.9
5.5
4.7
5.6
7.7
10.8
9.6
1.9
1.6
0.07
0.21

-3.0
- 4.6
2.6
- 0.4
1.8
0.8
4.3
2.8
32.1
30.1
62.8
62.8
4 4.4
43.6
4 9. 2
5 0.9
21.1
22.0
0.4 4
0.46

±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±
±

Comparison between
groups (by variation)SDvs. control

12.2
11.3
8.5
4.9
5.7
3.7
8.3
5.0
6.8
10.6
4.9
4.8
9.2
5.2
12.6
10.0
1.7
1.6
0.06
0.05

0.589
0.558
0.942
0.419
0.702
0.658
0.250
0.340
0.034
0.421

SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice; AGEs, advanced glycation endproducts; PL, polarized right; UV, ultraviolet; SD, standard
deviation; skin condition measured by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex); AGEs score measured by AGEs sensor (Sharp); SARFR group, n = 37; the control
group, n = 22; Statistical analysis by Student’s t test.

_ 251 _

Effects of Sub-Aleurone-Remaining Rinse-Free Ricesignificantly larger than that in the control.
Regarding the skin age (variation), the SARFR group
showed a significantly larger decrease than the control, being
more improved (p = 0.034, Fig. 3-a). There was no significant
difference in women (Fig. 3-c).
There was a significant difference between the groups
in the change of wrinkles, which was significantly improvedin the SARFR group (Fig. 4-a). A significant difference wasobserved only in men (Fig. 4-b), but not in women (Fig. 4-c).
No significant changes were noted in other items.

Measurement of AGEs
The intensity of skin AGEs fluorescence did not change
significantly before and after the test in both groups, andthere was no significant difference in the variation between
groups (Table 1).

was performed separately for both. The number of home
students was 28 (20.9 ± 1.5 years) in the SARFR group and
12 (22.0 ± 1.1 years) in the control group. The boarding housestudents were 8 (21.0 ± 1.6 years old) in the SARFR groupand 8 (22.3 ± 1.3 years old) in the control group.
In the home students, the SARFR group showedsignificant improvement in pores, pigmentation (polarized
light), total skin health score, and skin age after ingestion(Fig. 5 ). In boarding house students, only ultraviolet (UV)
pigmentation was significantly improved in the SARFRgroup (Fig. 6 ). Overall, the effect on skin quality was more
pronounced in the home students.

SafetyThere were no adverse events attributable to the test
product during the observation period.

Subclass analysis
Since there are differences in lifestyle habits between
boarding house students and home students, subclass analysisa) TotalMenb)b)Menp = 0.034

0.0

0.0

-0.2

-0.2

ΔSkin age (year)

ΔSkin age (year)a) Total

-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
-1.2

SARFR

Control

SARFR

Control

p = 0.047

-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
-1.2

SARFR

Control

Womenc)c)Women
ΔSkin age (year)

0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-1.0
-1.2

Fig. 3. Change of skin age.

a) Total, SARFR group, n = 37; the control group, n = 22. b) Men, SARFR group, n = 24; the control group, n = 13. c) WomenSARFR group, n = 13; the control group, n = 9. Skin age evaluated by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM;
Statistical analysis by Wilcoxon signed rank test. SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice; SEM, standard error mean.

_ 252 _

ΔWrinkle (change rate)

2.5

ΔWrinkle (change rate)Menb)b)Menp = 0.007

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0

SARFR

c) Women

2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0

SARFR

Control

Control

ΔWrinkle (change rate)c) Womenp = 0.024

2.5
2.0

Fig. 4b

1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0

SARFR

Control

Fig. 4. Change of wirinkles.

a) Total, SARFR group, n = 37; the control group, n = 22. b) Men, SARFR group, n = 24; the control group, n = 13. c) WomenSARFR group, n = 13; the control group, n = 9. Winkles are evaluated by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM;
Statistical analysis by Wilcoxon signed rank test. SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice; SEM, standard error mean.

-5.0
-5.0

-15.0
-15.0

Pores (%)

-10.0
-10.0

-5.0

-20.0
-20.0

c)c)
c)

-10.0
-15.0
-20.0

BeforeBefore

c)
80.0
80.0

40.0
40.0
20.0
20.0
0.0
0.0

pp==0.004
0.004 p = 0.004
60.0
40.0

10.0
10.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
6.0
4.0
4.0
2.0
2.0
0.0
0.0

d)d)

8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0

24.0

23.0
23.0

23.0

22.0
22.0
21.0
21.0

0.0

19.0
19.0

After

22.0
21.0
20.0
19.0

BeforeBefore

After

After
Before After
pp==0.001
0.001 p = 0.001

24.0
24.0

20.0
20.0

After
Before After

10.0

d)d)

20.0

BeforeBeforepp==0.014
0.014 p = 0.014

BeforeBefore

After

80.0

Skin health score

60.0
60.0

After
Before Afterb) b)
Pigmentation（PL）
(%)

0.0

b)b)

Skin age0.0
0.0

pp==0.035
0.035 p = 0.035

Pigmentation（PL）(%)
Pigmentation
（PL）
(%)

a)

SkinageageSkina)a)a)

Pores(%)
(%)
Pores

. 4c

a) Totala) Total

Skinhealthhealthscore
score
Skin

4a

Glycative Stress Research

Fig. 5. Effects of SARFR on skin condition: Subclass analysis in home students.

After
Before After

Aftera) Pores. b) Pigmentation by PL. c) Total skin health score. d) Skin age. Skin condtions are evaluated by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex). Results
are expressed as mean ± SEM; number of the home students, n = 12; Statistical analysis by paired-t test. SARFR, sub-aleurone layer
residual rinse-free rice; PL, polished rice; SEM, standard error mean.

_ 253 _

Pigmentation （UV）(%)

Effects of Sub-Aleurone-Remaining Rinse-Free Rice

deficiency anemia due to the chelating effect of phytic acidhas also been pointed out, but it is not a problem if we eat
a normal amount of brown rice. It was also said that somepeople were worried about pesticide residue on brown rice.
Although it was detected in some brands of brown rice inthe past, there is almost no problem nowadays with domestic
products.
The biggest problem among them might be the difficultyof digestion and absorption. To solve this problem, easy-toeat processed products have been developed, including pregerminated brown rice (“hatsuga genmai”) 13, 14), surfacetreated brown rice 25), ultra-high hydrostatic pressurizing
brown rice 17), and use with a reduced mixing ratio (50 %barley and brown rice) 18), as well as SARFR. As anothermethod, brown rice extract is used as a supplement.

p = 0.020

14.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0

BeforeAfter

Fig. 6. Effects of SARFR on skin condition: Subclassanalysis in the boarding house students.

6

Skin condtions are evaluated by Clreo-Pro (Fujitex).
Results are expressed as mean ± SEM; number of theboarding house students, n = 8; Statistical analysis bypaired-t test. SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinsefree rice; PL, polished rice; SEM, standard error mean.

Discussion
This study compared the changes in skin condition andskin AGEs between two groups of students who took SARFR
as a test product once a day for one month and ordinary
polished rice. SARFR was processed so as to be easy to eat
by removing only the epidermal wax layer and the outer layer
containing a large amount of indigestible fiber from brownrice to leave the nutrients.
The reported effects of brown rice include suppression ofelevated blood triglyceride/total cholesterol 8, 12), reductionof PPHG 13, 14), improvement of fasting blood glucose 15),
reduction of HbA1c 16), prevention of bone density reduction in
the elderly 17), visceral fat reduction in persons with metabolic
syndrome 18), improved bowel movement 19), increased bonedensity 20), and improved vascular endothelial function 21). It
is not easy to prove because human intestinal flora varies
greatly among individuals 22), however it has been pointed outthat brown rice intake may have a positive effect on intestinal
flora. When the effect of brown rice on human intestinal
flora was examined, a significant increase in the number of
Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Enterococcus faecalis,a significant decrease in the total number of bacteria,
Bacteroides, Eubacterium aerofaciens, and Escherichia coli
were observed by individuals ingesting brown rice 23). Also,
decreased detection rates of Clostridium paraputrificum andClostridium perfringens were observed during brown riceintake. It has also been reported that brown rice eaters with ahigh subjective health have a high occupancy rate of butyric
acid-producing bacteria, i.e., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii,
Roseburia genus, Bilophila genus 24).
Thus, it cannot be said that the brown rice diet is widely
spread, although it is expected to be effective in preventing
and improving lifestyle-related diseases. The reasons are thatthe taste and texture are different from that of polished rice,
the cooking time is long, the digestion/absorption is poor
due to the contained cellulose, digestion is poor, and it cancause abnormal intestinal fermentation. Anxiety about ironTypical functional ingredients of brown rice are dietaryfiber and lipophilic ingredients such as ferulic acid andγ-oryzanol. When γ-oryzanol is given to animal fat-fed mice,it has been shown to relieve endoplasmic reticulum stress inthe hypothalamus and attenuate the animal fat preference 26).
Furthermore, by the epigenomic mechanism, γ-oryzanol acts
to restore the decreased expression of dopamine receptors inthe brain's reward system (ventral striatum) which recognizes
the pleasure and satisfaction of eating mitigates, thus
reducing the animal fat preference, followed by exhibiting theeffect of transforming an “unsatisfied brain” into a “satisfied
brain” 27). As a result, it eliminates animal fat dependence,
improves hyperglycemia, and ameliorates metabolic
syndrome 28). Furthermore, for the triterpene alcohol andsterol preparation (TASP) contained in the oil-soluble
fraction in rice bran, there is evidence that TASP suppresses
the increase in postprandial blood concentration of GIP(glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), a digestive
tract hormone, and that it inhibits translocation of SGLT1(glucose transporter sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1)
to the cell membrane 29). As a result of these overall actions, it
is considered that glycative stress is reduced.
To date, there has been only one clinical trial report for
SARFR. In that study, 25 people (6 men, 19 women) who
stayed in an elderly facility participated and ingested rinsefree rice for two months every meal (control group), followed
by intake of SARFR for 4 months (test group) in a noncrossing manner 9). The results showed significant reductionof systolic blood pressure (p = 0.008) and a tendency todecrease diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.079), body fat
percentage (p = 0.064), and HbA1c (p = 0.050) in the SARFRgroup.
There is a case report on the relationship between
meal and mileage during the 118 days when Mr. Hazama
Kanpei, a comedian, ran 50 km a day for 118 days 30). The
entire process consisted of 15 cycles, with a basic rule ofrunning for five days and resting for one day. The breakfast
on the day of running was 33 days of Japanese food and 66
days of Western food, and the dinner on the previous day
was 30 days of Japanese food, 25 days of Western food, and23 days of Chinese food. During the process, SARFR wasserved for Japanese food. The results of mileage and running
time for each cycle show that the days when SARFR wasingested in the morning and afternoon, the running time
was extended by 20 minutes, the mileage was 5.8 km longer,_ 25 4 _Glycative Stress Researchand the average speed was 0.84 km/day faster than that of
the Western food diet. On the day he consumed SARFR
for breakfast, the running time and average speed weresignificantly longer, the mileage being 51.4 km for Japanesefood and 45.6 km for Western food ( p < 0.05).
There are several conference presentations on SARFR.
It has been pointed out that the GI value of SARFR is lower
than that of comon white rice 31), and this may be involvedin the downward trend of HbA1c observed in the previous
report of Kyo H et al. 9). It is also reported that angiotensin
intracellular signal transduction in the vascular smoothmuscle was suppressed 32), and it may be involved in the
hypotensive effect seen in the report of Kyo et al. 9). In addition,
the possibility of activation of immune function 33, 34), healthpromotion 35), and constipation amelioration 36) have beenreported.
In young subjects in this study, some positive effectsof SARFR intake were confirmed. First is the high levelof compliance and no dropout due to the test food intake.
If brown rice intake had been imposed on subjects, theyusually would not provide such high compliance 37, 38). This
reflects that there is no problem in the taste and flavor of
the test product, nor with digestive system symptoms due toindigestion and malabsorption. Rather, positive effects suchas improved bowel movements were seen.
The second is the effect of improving skin function. In
general, young subjects in their early twenties have a slightdecrease in skin function and are better than middle-aged

subjects. Nonetheless, it is significant that the test productintake showed a significant improvement effect on the skin
age as compared with the control. In contrast, there was no
significant change in skin AGEs fluorescence, its reason may
be that the pre-value was close to the normal range and there
was little room for improvement in young subjects.
Most skin function problems are said to be due tophotoaging, which is caused by oxidative stress due toultraviolet (UV) exposure. Next is the influence of glycative
stress. This involves yellowing due to AGEs deposition on
the skin and a decrease in skin elasticity due to the formationof glycated cross-links of collagen protein 39). Also, it isassociated with a decline in moisturizing function due toglycation and reduced production of filaggrin, a natural
moisturizing factor (NMF ) 40, 41). Additionally AGEs act on
pigment cells (melanocytes) to enhance melanin production,
thus inducing spot formation 42). It is speculated that these
symptoms were alleviated as a result of reducing glycative
stress by ingesting the test product (Fig. 7 ).
Regarding gender differences, almost no effect of
SARFR was observed in women, but differences wereobserved in men. The reason may be that the skin of womenin their early twenties was in almost normal health, thus
being no room for further improvement.
Comparing boarders and home students, it has beenreported that boarders have a lower nutritional satisfaction
rate and especially a lower protein intake 43, 44). Also, boarders

PPHG↓
TG・LDL-C↓
Fat-dependence↓

SARFR

Glycative
StressSkin

Collagen fiber

Yellowness↑

Dark spots↑

AGEs deposit↑

Melanin↑Keratinocyte

Glycation

Filaggrin glycation↑
gene expression↓

Fig. 7

Elasticity↓

Crosslinkformation

Moisture↓

Fig. 7. Glycative stress-induced skin damges and the possible suppressive actions by SARFR.

SARFR, sub-aleurone layer residual rinse-free rice; AGEs, advanced glycation endproducts; PPHG,
post-prandial hyperglycemia: TG, triglycemide, LDL-C, low-desity lipoprotein-cholesterol.

_ 255 _

Effects of Sub-Aleurone-Remaining Rinse-Free Rice

have a larger amount of drinking 45), a higher rate of skippedbreakfast 46), and more men with abnormal taste sense 47). The
elevated glycative stress due to disturbance of nutritionalbalance was more remarkable in male boarders, those who inthis study might be in a similar situation.

almost no antimutagenic substance 48). There are no reports
of adverse events related to SARFR in this and past clinical
trials. It was judged that there was no problem regarding thesafety of SARFR.

Conclusion

SafetyBrown rice, SARFR, and polished rice are basicallystaple foods that have been used in meals for many years, andcan therefore be considered to have sufficient food safety.
However, the problems of indigestion, abnormal intestinal
fermentation, and residual pesticides have been pointed out
regarding brown rice intake. The reason for this is based on
the insufficient expansion due to hindered water absorption
by the wax layer located on the surface of brown rice during
steam cooking. SARFR is made by removing the wax
layer and bran layer from brown rice by special processing,its color looks almost the same as that of polished rice
(conventional white rice) and its taste reserved, resulting in
the improvement of problems that are present in brown rice.
Furthermore, it has been reported that SARFR contains

A test meal (SARFR) of 150 g or more once a day foruniversity students was ingested for one month. Results
indicate that indigestion was not observed, compliance
was good, and a significant skin quality improving effectwas observed. It was suggested that SARFR, by reducing
indigestion of brown rice and securing nutritional value, may
contribute to health promotion including improvement ofskin quality.

Conflict of interest declaration
This study received research support from Toyo Rice
Co., Ltd.

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