A new research study from Dartmouth College found that arsenic levels in whole grain brown rice and brown rice products may pose a health risk. This is of particular concern for babies whose parents feet them organic formula sweetened with brown rice syrup, and for children and adults who consume large quantities of brown rice/products.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/ar...8#.Tz7ABKv7aG4
This isn't really breaking news, except for the concern over infant formula. A 2007 study from the University of Aberdeen (UK) reported much the same thing.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/
The USDA hasn't paid much attention before this because Americans typically don't consume very much rice. But for people from Asian backgrounds and people who have eliminated wheat from their diets for health reasons, the amount of arsenic consumed could raise the risk of several kinds of cancer.
Why is brown rice a problem when, for example, wheat is not?
1) Rice is particularly efficient at arsenic uptake from the environment.
2) Rice is grown in wet conditions, which facilitates arsenic uptake.
3) The outer layer of brown rice is where arsenic concentration is highest. White rice, which has had the outer layer milled off, is much lower in arsenic.
4) Most of the rice in the United States is grown in the South, on soil that was previously used for tobacco cultivation. Arsenic was sprayed on the tobacco crops as a pesticide; it permeated the soil, where it still remains.
So what do we, as consumers of brown rice, do?
1) Know the source of your whole grain brown rice. Rice grown in California has a much lower level of arsenic than rice grown in the South. Lundberg is a nationally-distributed brand that comes from California. If you're buying bulk rice from a bin, the store should be able to tell you where it comes from.
2) For brown rice products, including brown rice flour and brown rice syrup, read labels! Rice milk is problematic too. Adults should limit their consumption of these products, and children should probably eat them rarely if ever. Infants should not be given formula containing brown rice syrup.
3) Don't panic! There are plenty of other gluten-free grains out there that don't pose an arsenic risk.
I'm not a research scientist or a medical professional. This is just information I've gathered from a number of sources, including the two for which I've provided links above.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/ar...8#.Tz7ABKv7aG4
This isn't really breaking news, except for the concern over infant formula. A 2007 study from the University of Aberdeen (UK) reported much the same thing.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/
The USDA hasn't paid much attention before this because Americans typically don't consume very much rice. But for people from Asian backgrounds and people who have eliminated wheat from their diets for health reasons, the amount of arsenic consumed could raise the risk of several kinds of cancer.
Why is brown rice a problem when, for example, wheat is not?
1) Rice is particularly efficient at arsenic uptake from the environment.
2) Rice is grown in wet conditions, which facilitates arsenic uptake.
3) The outer layer of brown rice is where arsenic concentration is highest. White rice, which has had the outer layer milled off, is much lower in arsenic.
4) Most of the rice in the United States is grown in the South, on soil that was previously used for tobacco cultivation. Arsenic was sprayed on the tobacco crops as a pesticide; it permeated the soil, where it still remains.
So what do we, as consumers of brown rice, do?
1) Know the source of your whole grain brown rice. Rice grown in California has a much lower level of arsenic than rice grown in the South. Lundberg is a nationally-distributed brand that comes from California. If you're buying bulk rice from a bin, the store should be able to tell you where it comes from.
2) For brown rice products, including brown rice flour and brown rice syrup, read labels! Rice milk is problematic too. Adults should limit their consumption of these products, and children should probably eat them rarely if ever. Infants should not be given formula containing brown rice syrup.
3) Don't panic! There are plenty of other gluten-free grains out there that don't pose an arsenic risk.
I'm not a research scientist or a medical professional. This is just information I've gathered from a number of sources, including the two for which I've provided links above.
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