Rice, a staple for many across the world, has been considered one of the safest and easily digestible nutritious foods.
Rice, a staple for many across the world, has been considered one of the safest and easily digestible nutritious foods. It is also an important alternate grain for those who are gluten or wheat intolerant and those suffering from celiac disease. However, some recent reports on its toxicity, specifically related to arsenic have been a cause for concern.
In a consumer report in the US, analysis of US federal health data found that people who ate rice had arsenic levels that were 44 per cent greater than those who did not. Certain ethnic groups like Asians and Mexicans were more affected.
A study by the European Food Safety Authority found cereal products could account for more than half of dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic, mainly because of rice. Rice absorbs arsenic from soil or water much more effectively than most plants. That’s in part because it is one of the only major crops grown in water-flooded conditions, which allows arsenic to be more easily taken up by its roots and stored in the grains.
Arsenic is found in water, air, food and soil in organic and inorganic form. These together are referred to as “total arsenic”. The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has found arsenic content in over 30 samples of Indian basmati rice in its preliminary analysis. USFDA is in the process of collecting and analysing a total of approximately 1,200 samples of rice from different countries including India to examine the issue thoroughly. This data collection will be completed by the end of 2012. Once the data collection is completed, FDA will analyse these results and determine whether or not to issue further recommendations.
Arsenic not only is a potent human carcinogen but also can cause other health problems in children later life. Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic is associated with higher rates of skin, bladder, and lung cancers, as well as heart disease.
Author is a clinical nutritionist and founder of http://bit.ly/1KJWzmM Whole Foods India.
from The Indian Express » Section » Health http://bit.ly/1KRLAen
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