Great question — here's what the evidence shows.

The Short Answer

There is no solid evidence that brown rice raises HDL ("good") cholesterol. The research has mainly focused on its effects on LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and even there, the results are quite limited and mixed.

What the Research Says

Pillser's research database contains studies on brown rice and cholesterol, but none show a clear effect on HDL cholesterol.

• HDL cholesterol: The available studies that measured HDL cholesterol found no significant difference between brown rice and control diets¹. So there's no evidence supporting the claim that brown rice increases "good" cholesterol.

• LDL cholesterol: Here the picture is somewhat different, but still limited. Across 3 studies, only 1 reported a small beneficial effect on LDL cholesterol reduction, while the other 2 found neutral effects². The evidence strength is rated as low, and benefits may be limited to overweight individuals (BMI ≥ 25) with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes³.

The Bottom Line

Brown rice is a nutritious whole grain with more fiber than white rice, and it may offer modest benefits for LDL cholesterol (primarily in certain populations). However, there is no backed evidence that it raises HDL cholesterol specifically. If you're looking to improve your HDL levels, other dietary changes (like incorporating healthy fats from sources such as olive oil, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish) have stronger evidence behind them.

Footnotes

1. Pillser research database, Brown Rice and Reduced LDL Cholesterol — study by Shobana et al. (2017) found HDL-cholesterol changes did not differ between brown rice and control groups. ↩

2. Pillser research database, Brown Rice and Reduced LDL Cholesterol — 3 studies: 1 beneficial, 2 neutral. ↩

3. Pillser research database, study by Mohan et al. (2019) — improvements in LDL cholesterol in brown rice group observed only in participants with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². ↩