Nutrition News: Study Results Show Arsenic Levels in Rice

Investigations by the FDA and Consumer Reports found alarmingly high amounts of arsenic in rice and rice products. What does this mean about the way your family eats?
brown rice

140403443

Brown rice spilled from glass container

Photo by: Alan Reinhart

Alan Reinhart

By now you’ve probably heard about the recent findings of FDA and Consumer Reports investigations. Testing discovered alarmingly high amount of arsenic in rice and rice products. Tainted foods included infant cereals and formula, breakfast cereals, brown rice and even rice milk.

What is Arsenic?

This naturally existing element can be found in the air, soil and water supply in varying amounts. Consumption over time has been linked to certain types of cancer and deficits in neurological development.

It’s difficult to assess just how much arsenic is too much. Furthermore, it’s not well understood just how long the body holds on it – so it’s unclear how much can accumulate in the system over time.

The Environmental Protection Agency deems small amount of arsenic safe for consumption but recent reports have found the amounts found in rice to be beyond this "safe" dose.

What to Do?

There’s much more work to be done to determine just how dangerous rice products can be. In the meantime, the FDA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other health organizations are calling for more research. In the meantime, many of these outfits are suggesting limiting rice intake, not excluding it.

A few tips to help modify your diet:
  • Mix it up – variety is important to everyone’s diet to get a wide array of nutrients.
  • Experiment with other grains like oats, wheat, corn and quinoa.
  • When preparing rice, rinse dry grains before cooking.
  • Read ingredient labels - check for rice and rice-derived products like, rice flour and brown rice syrup.
  • Get more ideas from the Environmental Working Group.

Bottom Line: This topic deserves (and it seems will get) more attention in coming months. Stay tuned for more from government testing and in the meantime, put some effort towards making small tweaks to your family’s meal plan.

Next Up

Well, We’ve Reached a New Level of the Stanley Cup Craze

A woman has been arrested for stealing nearly $2,500 worth of Stanley Quencher Cups.

Why Rice Pudding Is My Sweet Start to the New Year

Celebrate the Lebanese way with rice pudding or any other white-colored dish to symbolize positivity, prosperity and peace.

Nutrition News: Pink Slime

What’s your take on the food issue everyone’s talking about: pink slime?

This Week's Nutrition News Feed

In this week's news: Cravings could be a gut thing (if not a good thing); the outdated BMI system gets a checkup; and the "all-natural" label is, well, kinda fake.

This Week's Nutrition News Feed

In this week's news: Google lets us compare apples to oranges; "real food" wins the latest diet smackdown; and Bittman says butter is back.

This Week's Nutrition News Feed

In this week's nutrition news: Students and politicians embrace Greek yogurt; avocado enthusiasts have more reasons to rejoice; and caffeine generates buzz in a study on memory.

The Nutrition Label's New Look

The food label on packaged food has been there since the early 1990’s. With all the label confusion, the FDA finally decided it was time the nutrition label got a makeover (we couldn’t agree more!). Although the proposed changes were released a few months ago, a new black and white food label photo was released this morning.

This Week’s Nutrition News Feed

In this week’s nutrition news: Chocolate is good for more than just your heart, the war of the protein powders, and say buh-bye to this popular fad diet.

This Week's Nutrition News Feed

In this week's news: Some Americans -- but not all -- are eating better; junk-food cravings may be all in our minds; and back-to-school may mean back-to-better-meals

This Week’s Nutrition News Feed

In this week's news: The rise of vegan Thanksgiving, food banks that grow kale and the problem with pizza joints and calorie counts.