Ever hear of ? Don't feel bad, most people have not. Maybe you have seen the 30-minute infomercial run on TV with developer Patty McPeak and Donald Barrett. During this show, Patty speaks in great detail about and the many benefits of rice bran, a key ingredient in Rice n Shine. She calls it a "Heart Healthy" meal replacement. Patty said that rice bran had a number of patents from the U.S. Patent Office. Well, I decided to have a look and see exactly what the patents were. Here is what I found. Patent number 6126943. "A method for reducing mammalian serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglyceride levels, by ingesting a stabilized rice bran derivative selected from the group consisting of an enzyme treated stabilized rice bran, an insolubilized fraction and mixtures thereof, thereby reducing serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglyceride levels in the mammal." Now what does this mean? First let me say that none of these statements contained here are intended to treat, diagnose or cure and medical condition. So what this means to me is this. "People who put products containing stabilized rice bran (such as Rice n Shine) in their diet may reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, reduce their risk of cholesterol clogged arteries, reduce their risk of stroke, and may also contribute to reducing the risk of diabetes." What is really interesting is the summary of the invention which states: "It has now been surprisingly found that stabilized rice bran derivatives reduce serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglyceride levels in mammals. As such, the present invention provides a method for reducing mammalian serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglyceride levels, by ingesting a stabilized rice bran derivative such as, enzyme treated stabilized rice bran, an insolubilized fraction and mixtures thereof, thereby reducing serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and triglyceride levels. In one embodiment, the derivative is administered in an amount of about 10 grams to about 100 grams per day total in at least 2 doses.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for increasing the HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio in mammalian serum, by ingesting a stabilized rice bran derivative such as, an enzyme treated stabilized rice bran derivative, an insolubilized fraction and mixtures thereof, thereby increasing the HDL/LDL ratio." Are you kidding me? Did that just say stabilized rice bran lowers cholesterol? They were issued a patent for this, however, you never hear about this from your doctor or read about it in any headlines. Amazing! The U.S. Patent Office awarded this company a patent for producing a supplement that has enormous health benefits and yet the F.D.A will not let them publicize their claims. What's wrong with this picture? Heart disease is the number one killer in this country. Everyone should be aware of this information. The technical terms above are directly from the U.S. Patent Office website: patent number 6126943.