The functional food, rice bran arabinoxylan derivative (BioBran) (also known as Lentin Plus 1000), was administered for a long period to patients with chronic rheumatism given mainly symptomatic treatments with steroids, to evaluate its supplementary effect with representative treatments for rheumatism, such as steroids, analgesics, and thermotherapy. Steroids are essential for treatment of rheumatism, but it is desirable to minimize the dose, because they may cause adverse reactions.

In recent years, there have been many reports on the functions of food ingredients, including superoxide scavenging and biophylaxis improving actions. This study evaluated the efficacy of BioBran, a functional food material. BioBran has been reported to have the effects of activating natural killer cells (NK cells) and inhibiting inflammation. The author confirmed and reported that it relieved cold symptoms in the elderly. The present study, where 8 patients with chronic rheumatism were given BioBran for 6 to 12 months, demonstrated the improvements of symptoms and QOL, suggesting its effectiveness.