Effects of Rice Bran Oil Administration on Lipid Profiles of Hypercholesterolemic Junior high school Teachers

Background: Rice Bran Oil (RBO) Rice bran oil is an abundant food source in Indonesia and contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and is rich in antioxidants. However, clinical trials on this material are still very limited. Objective: This research aims to assess the differences of effect of rice bran oil (RBO) and olive oil (OO) administration on lipid profile alteration of hypercholesterolemic junior high school teachers. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental method with a non-randomized pre-test and post-test design with a control group. A total of 28 junior high school teachers in the Tamalanrea District of Makassar City who experienced hypercholesterolemia were recruited in this study and were divided into 2 groups. The two groups were at different research locations and received different interventions. Both groups received the same education. The intervention group was given rice bran oil (30 ml/day) while the control group was given olive oil (30 ml/day). Each group underwent treatment for 30 days. Before and after the intervention was given, researchers measured the lipid profile which included total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. In addition, an anthropometric assessment of consumption and nutritional status was also carried out at the beginning and end of the study. The pair t test was used to determine the difference in effects before and after giving RBO and OO. The analysis was continued by comparing the results in the two groups using the independent t test. The level of confidence was set at 95% with a significance value less than 0.05 (p <0.05). Results: The majority of respondents involved in this study were women (89.3%) with a mean age between 50-52 years and undergraduate education level (67.9%). Based on anthropometric measurements, the average abdominal circumference of the respondents ranged from 83-90 cm and the average BMI was in the range 26-27 kg/m. The results of measurements of lipid profile, nutritional status, intake, and characteristics of respondents at the beginning of the study showed that the results were not significantly different (homogeneous), except for abdominal circumference. After giving RBO for 30 days, the results were a decrease in total cholesterol by 4.59%, triglycerides by 15.8%, LDL by 4.87%, but HDL levels also decreased, although in insignificant amounts (3.41%). Meanwhile, giving OO as a control reduced total cholesterol by 5.04% and triglycerides by 28.2%. In addition, there was also a slight increase in HDL levels by 0.45%, in contrast to LDL levels which did not show any difference at all. At the end of the study of the four lipid profile parameters observed, significant improvements were observed in the reduction of total cholesterol and triglyceride levels significantly after administration of RBO and OO (p <0.05). The results also showed that there was no significant difference between RBO and OO on changes in lipid profile (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Rice bran oil and olive oil have the same effect in improving lipid profiles by significantly lowering total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.