A new scientific paper on Rice Kefiran (RK) has been published by a research group led by Mahmoud Ben Othman and Kazuichi Sakamoto at the University of Tsukuba. The paper is entitled “Possible Involvement of NAMPT in the Anti-Obesity Effect of Oral Administration of Fermented Rice with Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens (Rice Kefiran) in C57BL/6J Mice.”

In a high-fat diet mouse model, oral administration of RK was shown to reduce body weight gain and adipose tissue accumulation, improve glucose tolerance, and favorably modulate serum lipid parameters. The researchers further observed increased levels of NAMPT—an enzyme involved in cellular energy metabolism—offering new insight into the potential mechanisms underlying RK’s metabolic effects.

Journal: Int J Mol Sci. 2026;27:1912.
Authors: Mahmoud Ben Othman and Kazuichi Sakamoto