(P07-046-23) Dietary Rice Bran Supplementation Substantially Contributes to Meeting DRI Requirements for Fiber and Distinct Micronutrients Among Mother-Child Pairs in Guatemala

Objectives: Nutrient-dense, affordable foods are needed for preventing acute and chronic child malnutrition. Rice bran is a co-product of rice processing that is rich in unique phytochemicals, amino acids, prebiotic fibers, and vitamins. The objective of this study was to examine daily rice bran intake contributions to overall nutritional status among mother-child pairs in southwest Guatemala during critical child growth windows.

Methods: Thirty mother-child pairs (N=60) were enrolled. Children were between 6 and 24 months old. Packets containing 60g of rice bran were distributed for 3 months. Weekly, households with < 5 members received 7 packets, and those with ≥5 members received 14. Complementary feeding questions were asked through a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). At baseline and endline, 24-hour dietary recalls were administered to mothers and children in Spanish. Recipes containing rice bran were documented for each meal, snack, or beverage. The recall data were analyzed and nutrients estimated using Nutritionist Pro™. Data were cleaned in SAS Studio (3.8) and visualizations generated in R (4.2.2).

Results: The mean maternal age at enrollment was 25.6 years and child age was 13 months. Mothers reported commonly integrating rice bran into atol, sugary beverages, eggs, beans, and soups. Male children had higher intake frequency for 87% of the FFQ food groups and especially for animal source foods and coffee. Females only exceeded males in consumption of formula and cow’s milk. Analysis of the 24-hour recalls showed that maternal consumption of ~10g/d of rice bran supported changes in the median percent of nutrient DRIs for fiber (17.7% change), potassium (15.9%), choline (7.5 %), magnesium (80.9%), iron (16.6%), thiamin (41.9%), and riboflavin (3.7%) were identified. Among children, consumption of ~3g/d of rice bran resulted in changes in the median intake of potassium (6.3%), choline (3.7%), iron (6.7%), and riboflavin (2.9%).

Conclusions: Rice bran supplementation into household diets supported changes in dietary intake levels for fiber and key micronutrients in mothers and children. Rice bran has the potential to improve nutritional adequacy and with broader implications for addressing the growing double burden of malnutrition.

Funding Sources: This research was funded by a pilot grant from the Colorado School of Public Health and the NIEHS T32 (ES 012870).