Arsenic in rice: What is and isn’t safe for adults and children (2024)
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If your breakfast includes rice cereal and your dinner features brown rice nearly every day, it may be time to add variety to your meals — especially if you’re serving children. That’s because rice contains inorganic arsenic, a potentially toxic metal that can cause health problems with chronic exposure.
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Clients looking for nutrition advice often ask me if rice is safe as a dietary staple (it is), and how much is safe for children to eat (less than what adults eat). Here’s what you need to know.
Where does arsenic come from?
Arsenic is a toxic environmental pollutant that occurs naturally in soil and groundwater. It is also found in industrial processes and pesticides. Although arsenic-containing pesticides are mostly banned now, some of the arsenic that was used decades ago is still present in soil today, and some industries continue to deposit arsenic into soil and groundwater that ends up in our food supply.
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Conrad Choiniere, director of the Office of Analytics and Outreach at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, explains by email: “The adverse health effects from arsenic exposure depend on a variety of factors, including the type of arsenic (organic or inorganic); the level of exposure; and the age of the person exposed to the arsenic.”
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Organic arsenic is not as harmful as inorganic arsenic, which is quite toxic — and the type this article is referring to in relation to health risk. Unfortunately, researchers are finding inorganic arsenic in many rice-based products. In fact, rice is the most common food source of arsenic in our diet, according to the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center at Dartmouth College.
Sadly, the problem may worsen with climate change. A new study suggests that arsenic uptake by rice plants will increase under higher temperatures.
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More than any other grain, rice plants readily take up arsenic from soil and water, and it remains intact when we eat rice or when it is processed into rice flour or the honey-like sweetener known as brown rice syrup. These ingredients are often used by food manufacturers to make crackers, baked goods, breakfast cereals and rice-based baby foods.
If you’re thinking, “But I only eat organic brown rice … surely that’s healthy,” you’re in for a surprise: Inorganic arsenic is found in the outer husk of rice grains, which stays intact on brown rice, meaning there’s more arsenic in brown rice than in white rice. And soil on organic farms can have remnants of arsenic from historical pesticide use.
What’s the risk?
The greatest health risk comes from chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic, and that’s more likely to come from contaminated water rather than rice. So take a deep breath — Choiniere says that “the short-term health effects that can occur from high levels of arsenic are at exposures far higher than what is typically found in foods.”
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Of course, eating highly contaminated rice products multiple times a day, week after week, is not a smart idea, especially if you are cooking in water that also contains arsenic. That’s an example of chronic arsenic exposure, which is linked to an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It can also lead to chronic arsenic poisoning, which may trigger skin lesions and skin cancer.
Choiniere says that arsenic is also a known carcinogen for lung and bladder cancer. A lifetime exposure to all rice products carries a risk of lung or bladder cancer in 39 out of 1 million Americans. For perspective, the number of lung and bladder cancer cases from all causes is 90,000 per million people over a lifetime — so rice doesn’t put you at a huge risk.
It’s a bit different with infants and children, where even low-level exposure to arsenic has been associated with neurodevelopmental issues, Choiniere says. Arsenic in children’s diets has been linked to issues with cognitive development, intelligence and memory.
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Arsenic may also harm a pregnancy and boost infant mortality rates. When a baby is exposed to inorganic arsenic in utero, there’s an increased risk of cancer, lung disease, heart attacks and kidney failure.
The FDA has not found any scientific basis to recommend that adult consumers change their rice consumption based on the presence of arsenic, Choiniere says. “Consumers can eat rice as part of a well-balanced diet,” he says, but he didn’t specify exact amounts that are recommended daily or weekly.
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The bigger issue is rice intake in infants and children, who have up to three times the exposure to arsenic from rice compared with adults.
Kacie Barnes, a Dallas-based registered dietitian specializing in pediatrics through her practice Mama Knows Nutrition, explains that infants and young children eat more food per pound of body weight than adults, so when their foods have a higher level of arsenic, they have more exposure than an adult.
“The FDA recommends that parents and caregivers feed their infants a variety of grain-based infant cereals, rather than to rely solely on infant rice cereal,” Choiniere says. “Rice cereal fortified with iron is a good source of nutrients for infants, but it shouldn’t be the only source and does not need to be the first.”
If you’re a new parent, that advice for rice intake may not be low enough for your peace of mind. Barnes takes a firmer stance. “As a dietitian, I do not recommend rice cereal for babies,” she says. “Babies can start on single-ingredient foods like avocado, banana, pureed peas or beans, baby oatmeal and even pureed meat.”
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Barnes also tells clients with children over age 5 not to serve rice products more than four times per week.
Jessica Gust, a pediatric dietitian and founder of Element Nutrition Kids in Arroyo Grande, Calif., adds that the best thing parents can do for their children is to offer variety when it comes to food.e adds that the best thing parents can do for their children is to offer variety when it comes to food.
“There is no magic number when it comes to how many rice products are safe to eat,” Gust says. “What parents should avoid is only offering rice products. If parents are giving a good variety of foods, they really don’t need to stress about the occasional rice product.”
In 2020, the FDA finalized guidance to the food industry not to exceed inorganic arsenic levels of 100 parts per billion in infant rice cereal. The effort is paying off: Arsenic in infant rice cereal has already decreased by 29 percent between 2012 and 2018 (the last available numbers), and the initiative is ongoing.
Make informed choices
The good news? There are many ways to enjoy rice while cutting back on arsenic, no matter how often you eat it.
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Margaret Rita Karagas, director of the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center, shared tips from a website the center developed to help families make decisions about choosing rice with less arsenic:
· Pick white rice more often than brown rice.
· Choose lower-arsenic types of rice, including white basmati rice from California, India or Pakistan, or sushi rice grown in the United States.
· Don’t cook rice in well water that is contaminated with arsenic.
· Opt for variety by alternating rice with low-arsenic grains such as oats, barley, quinoa, millet and wheat.
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Barnes adds that it’s a good idea to cook rice like pasta: with lots of extra water, then drain off the water when it’s done to eliminate some of the arsenic. The FDA says this method can reduce arsenic levels by up to 60 percent. As for the common recommendation to rinse rice before cooking: FDA research shows it has a minimal effect on arsenic content of the cooked grain. But note: Rinsing rice or cooking it in extra water will reduce the iron and B vitamins that are added to enriched, polished and parboiled rice by up to 70 percent.
Finally, if you use private well water, get it tested for arsenic. Testing by the Environmental Protection Agency applies only to public water sources, not private wells, so it’s up to you to get it tested.
Registered dietitian Cara Rosenbloom is president of Words to Eat By and specializes in writing, nutrition education and recipe development. She is the co-author of “Food to Grow On.”
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It can also lead to chronic arsenic poisoning, which may trigger skin lesions and skin cancer. Choiniere says that arsenic is also a known carcinogen for lung and bladder cancer. A lifetime exposure to all rice products carries a risk of lung or bladder cancer in 39 out of 1 million Americans.
Why is there arsenic in rice? When they're growing, rice plants take in more arsenic than other plants do. The plants absorb the arsenic from the soil, from the irrigation water when it is grown in flooded fields, and from farming chemicals that used to be used in rice fields.
Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.
The highest levels of arsenic (in all forms) in foods can be found in seafood, rice, rice cereal (and other rice products), mushrooms, and poultry, although many other foods, including some fruit juices, can also contain arsenic.
The FDA research also shows that rinsing rice before cooking has a minimal effect on the arsenic content of the cooked grain and will wash off iron, folate, thiamine and niacin from polished and parboiled rice.
To reduce the arsenic in your rice, first give it a good rinse. Place the grains in a fine mesh strainer and pour water over them until it runs clear. Cook the rice in excess water, at a ratio of one cup of rice to six cups of water, and drain any extra leftover once the grains are tender.
The options with the least amount of arsenic, according to Consumer Reports, are sushi rice from the U.S. and white basmati rice from California, Pakistan, and India.
Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices. Rice that's grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don't rely on organic to have less arsenic.
A quick rinse of brown rice before you cook it doesn't lower arsenic levels, but boiling it and draining off the excess water, instead of cooking to dry, drops arsenic levels by 40 percent. That was using about a ratio of 6 parts water to 1 part rice.
The primary method of metabolizing arsenic in humans is methylation.
Although once considered the main mechanism of detoxification, studies have implied the existence of other more important arsenic detoxification mechanisms in mammals.
The main route of arsenic excretion is in the urine.
Arsenic can cause lung and skin cancers and may cause other cancers. The association between chronic arsenic exposure and cancer is strongest for skin, lung, and bladder cancer. Liver (angiosarcoma), kidney, and other cancers have limited strength of association [IARC 2004; NRC 2000].
Residues of these compounds pose human food safety concerns, and a tolerance has been established of 500 ppb elemental arsenic in uncooked muscle tissue and eggs (2). Although organic arsenicals are efficacious in egg- producing poultry, these drugs are not approved for use in egg-producing birds (14).
Meat and animal products such as dairy and eggs contain little to no arsenic, so there is no reason to limit or avoid these foods to reduce arsenic exposure.”
1. Steaming or boiling rice is the best way of cooking them, due to the elimination of any high-fat vegetable oils. 2. Team your cooked rice with blanched or stir-fried high-fibre vegetables to make your meal more satiating and healthy.
Brown rice contains higher amounts of arsenic than white rice. If you eat large amounts of rice, the white variety may be a better choice ( 12 , 49 , 50 ).
Total arsenic was significantly removed (P < 0.05) as time proceeded. Similar variation trends were observed for Mg and Ca in both rice varieties. The three element concentrations exhibited a downward trend during soaking. The maximum reduction rate of As was 18.3 % at 48 h.
Hydride generation is another popular method for the detection of arsenic in rice. This involves the reduction of arsenic species to their volatile hydrides in the presence of an acid (HCl) and a reductant (NaBH4).
Cooking rice by repeatedly flushing it through with fresh hot water can remove much of the grain's stored arsenic, researchers have found—a tip that could lessen levels of the toxic substance in one of the world's most popular foods.
Oatmeal, barley, multi-grain, and other non-rice cereals are the best options. They are consistently low in arsenic and are a healthy choice for babies.
Root vegetables like beets, turnips, carrots, radishes and potatoes – have arsenic mostly in their skins. Peeling these vegetables will get rid of most of the arsenic, but avoid eating the peel or composting as this would put arsenic back into the soil.
Therefore, choosing whole-grain brown, red, black, or wild rice is an excellent choice for health. Plus, these varieties are richer in disease-fighting antioxidants. Consuming a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods can benefit health in many ways.
Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
Which Rice Has the Least Arsenic? Basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice, according to Consumer Reports data. These types of rice have about one-third of the inorganic arsenic compared to brown rice from other regions.
People are most likely exposed to inorganic arsenic through drinking water. This is especially true in areas with water sources that naturally have higher levels of inorganic arsenic. People can also be exposed to inorganic arsenic by eating such foods as rice and some fruit juices.
Both inorganic and organic forms leave your body in your urine. Most of the inorganic arsenic will be gone within several days, although some will remain in your body for several months or even longer. If you are exposed to organic arsenic, most of it will leave your body within several days.
Chaudhuri says that sulphur-containing substances in garlic scavenge arsenic from tissues … and blood. She advises people in at-risk areas to eat one to three cloves of garlic per day as a preventative.
A high fiber diet helps keep the bowels unblocked and bids toxins in the colon. B Vitamins: A balanced B vitamin supplement will supply all of the B vitamins essential to methylation of arsenic. Vitamin C: Vitamin C can actually act as a chelating agent and help remove arsenic directly from the bloodstream.
Patients with suspected acute arsenic poisoning generally require rapid stabilization with fluid and electrolyte replacement in an intensive care setting. Aggressive intravenous fluid replacement therapy may be life–saving in severe poisoning.
The resulting data set (253 samples) shows total arsenic levels in single-strength apple juice ranging from nondetect to 45 ppb. More than 90 percent of the samples are at or below 10 ppb total arsenic.
Which cancers are associated with exposure to arsenic? Prolonged ingestion of arsenic-containing drinking water is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer and skin cancer, and medical exposure to arsenic has been clearly associated with skin cancer in epidemiological studies.
Inorganic arsenic compounds are found in soils, sediments, and groundwater. These compounds occur either naturally or as a result of mining, ore smelting, and industrial use of arsenic. Organic arsenic compounds are found mainly in fish and shellfish.
Broccoli - Broccoli, along with other cruciferous vegetables like brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale, contains a sulfur compound that attracts inorganic arsenic from the soil!
Seafood classified as dark-meat fish (like tuna steaks, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish) were the top arsenic offenders. Organic arsenic is actually found in all types of fish.
Rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic than other foods, in part because as rice plants grow, the plant and grain tend to absorb arsenic from the environment more than other crops.
food and beverages in the U.S. are safe for you and your family. Through its Total Diet Study, FDA has been monitoring arsenic in the food supply for years. The FDA has done testing of cooked food and found arsenic at only one-twenty-fifth (.04) of the tolerance level in chicken.
No.Chickens in the United States produced for meat, known as broilers, are not given arsenic as an additive in chicken feed. Some broiler flocks used to be given feed that contained a product called 3-Nitro, a feed medicine containing the organic arsenical roxarsone that included safe levels of organic arsenic.
Other naturally gluten-free grains provide better nutrition and do not take up arsenic when they grow. For instance: Quinoa, Oats, Corn, Flax, Amaranth, Teff, Millet, or Buckwheat.
Seafood, including finfish, shellfish, and seaweed, is the largest contributor to arsenic (As) exposure in many human populations. In contrast to the predominance of inorganic As in water and many terrestrial foods, As in marine-derived foods is present primarily in the form of organic compounds.
The amounts of As(III) tended to be higher in non-processed nuts (cashews, almonds, pine nuts, walnuts) than in processed samples (salted peanuts, sunflower seeds). Since As(III) is the more toxic form, there is one way to cut down daily arsenic intake if you still like to eat nuts.
Both purple and brown rice may contain trace amounts of arsenic, a toxin that is absorbed from soil. Arsenic amounts are largely determined by where rice is grown. White rice has less arsenic contamination because its outer layer is removed.
It's common for rice to contain 100 ppb of arsenic, Meharg said, though he has found levels as high as 2,000 ppb in rice bought in the United States and Japan. Just how much rice you'd need to consume for it to affect your health is unknown.
Consumer Reports tested 223 samples of rice products and found significant levels of arsenic in almost all of them, including white, brown, parboiled, jasmine, basmati, and other types of rice. Arsenic was found in rice whether it was organic or conventional — and from all regions of the world.
If you think you're getting away with it by only eating microwave rice (where you're never at risk of accidentally making enough portions for 16 people), you're still at risk from eating traces of arsenic according to the Institute for Global Food Security.
Eating organic rice offers additional health benefits. When compared with conventionally grown food crops, organic foods contain less pesticides and food additives, minimizing your exposure to harmful chemicals. Whole grain rice includes the outer husk of the rice and retains the maximum fiber content.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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