| Wheat bran is the collective term for the outer parts of wheat grains. The nutrient content of wheat bran is about 50% dietary fibers and the remaining nutrients are vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols. Wheat bran is expected to reduce constipation and keep the bowel open, however, it has been regarded as a nutritionally poor food. Recently, a lot of studies on the biological function of wheat bran demonstrated that it has various biological functions, including cancer preventive activities. The components responsible for the biologicalfunctions are insoluble dietary fiber, and a variety of compounds, such as hemicellulose（water soluble dietaryfiber）, ferulic acid（antioxidant）, phytic acid and alkylresorcinol（polyphenol） . Effective methods to purify these functional components have been extensively studied, along with functional studies. These current studies give us hope that wheat bran will be an efficient foodstuff to help keep and improve health conditions. Key words : Wheat bran, Dietary fiber, Immunostimulation, Hyperlipidemia |
