# Rice bran in ready-to-use therapeutic foods for microbiota-targeted treatment of childhood malnutrition

> **NIH NIH R21** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $416,555

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is the cause for nearly half of all child deaths under the age five. In
Indonesia, SAM affects more than 2 million children and ~1% receive adequate treatment due to lack of
access and coverage. Typical SAM treatment includes ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) which have
shown immediate benefit and reduction in mortality rates, however, recovered children have persistent
dysbiotic gut microbiota, leaving them susceptible to infection and malnutrition relapse as well as risk for
chronic metabolic disease later in life. A growing focus has been placed on prebiotic foods in treatment of gut
dysfunction, with little known regarding efficacy of prebiotic rich foods during SAM treatment and recovery.
Rice bran contains prebiotics of growing significance to supporting favorable changes to commensal
microbiota and microbiota metabolism. Rice Bran contains unique bioactive phytochemicals, lipids, and amino
acids when compared to bran from other cereals. Compelling published and preliminary evidence from animals
and humans support that rice bran positively influences the gut microbiome and metabolome for protection
against diarrheal disease and supports healthy growth. Directed attention to improving SAM treatment of
children with an innovative RUTF formulation containing rice bran is the basis for an ongoing double-blinded,
randomized control trial (NCT05319717). This RCT is the first examination of rice bran during SAM treatment.
The objective of this proposal is to examine whether the addition of rice bran to RUTFs results in changes to
the recovering child’s microbiota and metabolism that provide enhanced protection against enteric infections,
prevention of malnutrition relapse and promotion of blood metabolic profiles indicative of enhanced nutrient
absorption. The hypothesis is that the RUTF + rice bran treatment will increase stool microbial diversity and
favorably modulate the dried blood spot metabolome in SAM children when compared to a control RUTF.
Dietary rice bran inclusion is expected to modulate both amino acid and lipid metabolism via gut microbiota in
children recovered from SAM. Two proposed specific aims to explore this hypothesis are 1) Determine the
effect of RUTF + rice bran on gut microbiota composition in the treatment of SAM compared to control RUTF in
SAM in children ages 6-59 months and 2) Examine and establish EED marker and metabolite profiles
associated with RUTF + rice bran in the treatment of SAM compared to control RUTF. Rice bran inclusion to
RUTFs is anticipated to become a local, affordable solution that can enhance protection against microbial
dysbiosis that is associated with malnutrition relapse, and results from stool and blood analysis will significantly
advance our global knowledge of how to improve gut-directed SAM treatments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10750478
- **Project number:** 1R21HD113211-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth P Ryan
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $416,555
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-18 → 2025-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10750478

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10750478, Rice bran in ready-to-use therapeutic foods for microbiota-targeted treatment of childhood malnutrition (1R21HD113211-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10750478. Licensed CC0.

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