Arsenic In Rice! Do You Have To Worry?

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Arsenic is one of the most toxic elements in the world. Throughout its history, it has penetrated the food chain and found its way into our foods. However, this problem is getting worse as widespread pollution increases arsenic levels in foods, which poses a serious health risk.

Recently, studies have found high levels of arsenic in rice. This is a serious problem, as rice is a staple food for much of the world's population. Do you have to worry? Let's take a look.

What is arsenic?

Arsenic is a toxic trace element identified by the symbol As. It does not usually occur alone. Rather, it is related to other elements in chemical compounds. These compounds can be divided into two broad categories:

1. Organic arsenic: found mainly in plant and animal tissues;

2. Inorganic arsenic: found in rocks and soil or dissolved in water. This is the more toxic form.

Both forms are naturally present in the environment, but their levels increase due to pollution. For a number of reasons the rice may accumulate a significant amount of inorganic arsenic (the more toxic form) from the environment.

Sources of arsenic

Arsenic is found in almost all foods and beverages, but is usually found only in small amounts. In contrast, relatively high levels are found in:

• Contaminated drinking water: Millions of people around the world use drinking water that contains large amounts of inorganic arsenic. This is most common in South America and Asia;

• Seafood: Fish, shrimp, mussels and other seafood may contain significant amounts of organic arsenic, less; toxic form. However, mussels and some species of algae may also contain inorganic arsenic;

• Rice: Rice accumulates more arsenic from other food crops. In fact, it is the largest dietary source of inorganic arsenic, which is more toxic.

High levels of inorganic arsenic have been found in many rice-based products such as:

• Rice milk;

• Rice bran;

• Rice-based cereals;

• Rice cereals (baby rice);

• Crackers with rice;

• Cereal bars containing rice and / or brown rice syrup.

Why is arsenic found in rice?

Arsenic occurs naturally in water, soil and rocks, but its levels may be higher in some areas than others. It easily enters the food chain and can accumulate in significant amounts in animals and plants, some of which are consumed by humans.

As a result of human activity, arsenic pollution is increasing.

The main sources of arsenic pollution include certain pesticides and herbicides, wood preservatives, phosphate fertilizers, industrial waste, mining, coal burning and smelting.

Arsenic often drains into groundwater, which is heavily polluted in some parts of the world. From groundwater, arsenic goes to wells and other water sources that can be used for irrigation, cooking and drinking.

Raw rice is particularly sensitive to arsenic contamination for three reasons:

1. It is grown in flooded fields (rice fields), which require large amounts of water for irrigation. In many areas, this irrigation water is contaminated with arsenic;

2. Arsenic can accumulate in the soil of rice fields, which exacerbates the problem;

3. Rice absorbs more arsenic from water and soil than other food crops.

Another concern is the use of contaminated cooking water since rice grains easily absorb arsenic from the water when boiled.

Effects of arsenic on health

High doses of arsenic are highly toxic, causing a variety of adverse symptoms and even death. Although in small amounts and cannot cause immediate poisoning, long-term ingestion of inorganic arsenic can cause a variety of health problems and increase the risk of chronic diseases. They include:

• Different types of cancer;

• Constriction or blockage of blood vessels (vascular disease);

• High blood pressure (hypertension);

• Heart disease;

• Type 2 diabetes.

In addition, arsenic is toxic to nerve cells and can affect brain function. In children and adolescents, arsenic exposure is associated with:

• Impaired concentration, learning and memory;

• Reduced intelligence and social competence.

Some of these injuries may have occurred before birth. Several studies have shown that high arsenic intake in pregnant women has an adverse effect on the fetus, increasing the risk of birth defects and preventing its development.

Yes! There is no doubt - arsenic in rice is a problem

This can pose a health risk to people who eat rice in significant quantities every day. This applies mainly to people in Asia or people on Asian diets.

Other groups that can eat a lot of rice products are young children and those on a milk-free or gluten-free diet. Rice foods for babies, rice crackers, pudding and rice milk sometimes make up a large part of these diets.

Young children are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, feeding them rice grains every day may not be such a good idea. Of particular importance is the brown rice syrup, a sweetener with rice, which may be high in arsenic. It is often used in baby food.

Of course, not all types of rice contain high levels of arsenic, but determining the arsenic content of a rice product can be difficult (or impossible) without actually measuring in a laboratory.

How to reduce arsenic in rice?

The content of arsenic in rice can be reduced by washing and boiling the rice with clean water, which is low in arsenic. This is effective for both white and brown rice, which can potentially reduce the arsenic content by up to 57%.

However, if cooking water is high in arsenic, it can have the opposite effect and significantly increase the arsenic content.

The following tips should help reduce the arsenic content of rice:

• Use plenty of water when cooking;

• Wash the rice before cooking. This method can remove 10-28% of arsenic;

• Brown rice contains higher amounts of arsenic than white rice. If you eat large amounts of rice, white may be a better choice;

• Choose aromatic rice such as basmati;

• Choose rice from the Himalayan region, including northern India, northern Pakistan and Nepal;

• If possible, avoid rice that is grown during the dry season. The use of arsenic-contaminated water is more common during this time.

The last and most important piece of advice concerns your diet as a whole. Make sure you diversify your diet by eating a lot of different foods. Your diet should never be dominated by one type of food.

This not only ensures that you get all the nutrients you need, but also prevents you from getting too much of one thing.

Arsenic in rice is a serious problem for many people

A huge percentage of the world's population relies on rice as their main source of food, and millions of people are at risk of developing arsenic-related health problems.

If you eat rice in moderation as part of a varied diet, you should be perfectly fine. However, if rice turns out to be a big part of your diet, make sure it is grown in an uncontaminated area.