When cereal grains are harvested each grain has a hard outer layer. This layer is sometimes removed when the cereal grain is processed and creates bran, which becomes a byproduct of grain processing. The processed grain is not as nutritionally sound as is the grain that still contains bran.

Since we don’t buy everything in whole grain style, people often add bran to their diets. It is much higher in dietary fiber than is cereal grain with bran removed. It also makes for a good protein source, a source for polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats, and it holds valuable vitamins and minerals. The grain sources like oats, wheat, rice or many others do somewhat determine the nutritional value of the bran used from each type of grain.

Bran has been used for several decades as a means to end constipation. Its high dietary fiber content helps stools become softer and more bulky. It may work for people with irritable bowel syndrome, because it helps bulk up stools, which can translate to fewer bouts of diarrhea. Common foods like bran flakes and bran muffins are also widely used.

When using bran to maintain bowel regularity, it’s best to start slow. Don’t eat a bunch of bran muffins in one sitting. Instead try one a day, or better yet use bran cereals that don’t have a lot of sugar. Wheat bran, especially, has a sweet taste that doesn’t require much in the way of additional sugar.

Wheat bran has been shown to reduce colon and rectal cancer in rats, which often leads people to assume it will confer the same benefits to humans. In fact, this has not been shown. Other types of bran may provide this beneficial side effect. Specifically rice bran, which is high in antioxidants, may have some cancer prevention abilities.

Oat bran has been established as having the ability to lower cholesterol, which is why many doctors recommend eating whole oat cereal in oatmeal. On its own, oat bran may not be that effective in lowering cholesterol. It has to be combined with a lower fat diet in order to work properly.

It’s fairly easy to work rice bran and oat bran into the diet. Eating whole oats, or whole brown rice is a simple dietary modification. Wheat bran is usually readily available in flour-like form in natural food stores and in many mainstream grocery stores. You can get whole bran from corn simply by eating corn on the cob.

In most cases, bran is best when consumed from non-processed sources. It tends to store better too. The high oil content of most bran separated from its natural grain can cause bran flour to easily become rancid. You may want to store bran flour in the fridge, and discard any leftover flour after a couple of months. Whole grains can usually be stored for three to four months in airtight containers, in cool, dry places.