Now that millions of Americans are avoiding gluten in wheat
products, they’re increasingly turning to rice products, which
are free of the protein that causes digestive stress in some
people.
What they may not know is that rice contains shocking amounts of
one of the world’s most insidious toxins: arsenic.
Arsenic is found naturally in soil and water. Most food crops
don’t readily absorb much of it. But rice is an exception. It
has a natural tendency to take in and concentrate environmental
arsenic.
Arsenic is a lethal poison, and even a miniscule amount can have
dire consequences. “It is concerning for long-term health
effects,” says Michael Crupain, M.D., director of Consumer
Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center.
“There’s strong evidence that arsenic causes lung and bladder
cancer,” Dr. Crupain tells Newsmax Health. “It’s also implicated
in causing other cancers such as skin cancer.”
Dr. Crupain and his colleagues did comprehensive tests of
arsenic in rice and compiled previous findings. They found wide
variations in arsenic content, and concluded that these
differences largely depend on the type of rice and where it is
grown.
Here are six things you need to know about arsenic in rice:
1. White basmati and sushi rice contain the least arsenic.
White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan — and
sushi rice from any country — are the healthiest choices.
They contain only about half as much arsenic per serving as most
other types of rice. If these were the only rice products
consumed in a household, an adult could safely eat up to 4½
servings (¼ cup uncooked) per week while a child could safely
eat up to 2¾ servings per week, according to Consumer Reports.
2. Beware of basmati rice from the U.S. that is not from
California.
“When we looked at basmati rice that comes from the south
central U.S., which is sometimes called Texmati rice, we didn’t
see that it had the same statistically significant lower levels
of inorganic arsenic,” says Dr. Crupain.
White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan contains
about 50 percent less arsenic as white basmati rice from Texas,
Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Overall, any type of white rice from California contains about
38 percent less arsenic than any other white rice.
3. Brown rice contains the most arsenic.
On average, brown rice contains 80 percent more arsenic than
does white rice of the same type.
That’s because arsenic accumulates in the grain’s brown outer
layer, which is removed to make white rice. Because brown rice
contains more nutrients than white rice, however, experts don’t
recommend completely avoiding it.
Brown basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan is your
best brown rice bet.
4. Some rice products are awash in arsenic.
One serving of hot rice cereal (¼ cup uncooked) and one serving
of rice pasta (2 ounces uncooked) are loaded with arsenic.
Just a single serving of either food accounts for about half of
the recommended weekly maximum amount of rice for adults.
5. Other grains contain only minimal amounts of arsenic.
Compared to rice, other gluten-free grains such as amaranth,
quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and polenta (or grits) contain lower
levels of arsenic. So do gluten-containing grains such as
bulgur, barley, and farro.
6. Cook rice like pasta to reduce arsenic.
Studies suggest that you can remove 30–50 percent of the arsenic
in rice by cooking it like pasta. Thoroughly rinse raw rice
before cooking, boil it in a mixture of six cups of water to
every one cup of rice, and then drain the excess water.
In general, brown rice holds up to this traditionally Asian
cooking method better than white rice. But you still may be able
to remove a significant amount of arsenic from white rice if you
carefully rinse it before cooking it in the traditional American
manner.
The full version of this article appeared in Health Radar
newsletter. To read more, click
here.