Americans who regularly eat brown rice instead of white may be exposing themselves to higher levels of the heavy metal arsenic, a recent study from Michigan State University finds.
The research also found that young children who often eat brown rice are particularly vulnerable. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen that is toxic to people of any age, and it can harm the developing brain of a baby or toddler.
Some simple changes at home, such as avoiding certain rice-based products, can help you reduce your risk of harm.
How does arsenic get in brown rice?
Brown rice is often seen as a healthier alternative to white rice, because it retains more nutrients in the grain’s outer layers, known as the bran. But that layer is also where arsenic can accumulate, leading to higher arsenic levels in brown rice than in white.
Heavy metals like arsenic are naturally present in water and soil. But industrial pollution and decades of agricultural use of arsenic-based pesticides have led to intense concentrations in some places.
While all plants can absorb some arsenic, rice plants are especially effective at pulling it from the soil, because of their physiology and growing conditions. These plants can accumulate 10 times more arsenic than other grain crops, in turn increasing your potential exposure.
Regulation falls short
We’ve known about arsenic contamination in rice worldwide for over two decades.
And in the United States, reports about arsenic in rice have been published since 2011.
The Food and Drug Administration’s monitoring of heavy metals in the food supply has detected the presence of arsenic and other heavy metals in fruit, vegetables and grains. Arsenic levels are consistently higher in rice and foods made with rice flour, bran and rice-based sweeteners than in non-rice products.
But the U.S. and other countries have been slow to address arsenic levels in food. In 2023 the FDA set a non-binding “action level” of 10 parts per billion for the amount of arsenic allowed in apple juice and drinking water, but not for the many rice-based foods with higher concentrations of arsenic.
How can I reduce my arsenic exposure?
Both organic and non-organic rice contain arsenic. But published data show that arsenic concentrations in rice vary based on the variety and the region where it’s grown.
White rice, particularly basmati, jasmine and “instant” rice, tend to contain lower concentrations of arsenic than brown. Rice varieties grown in California or imported from Southeast Asia are often lower in arsenic than rice grown in other parts of the U.S.
More brown rice grown in dry soil instead of water-saturated soil could decrease the amount of arsenic that migrates into the grain. And new varieties of rice could be bred to take up less arsenic from the soil and water.
Until governments act, here are steps that can reduce your family’s exposure to arsenic, including:
- Limiting your rice consumption, where possible.
- Rinsing rice and cooking it in extra water. This may reduce some of the arsenic content.
- Avoiding rice cereal as an infants’ first solid food. Nutritional guidance is shifting.Soft fruits, vegetables or even meats are great first sources of complementary nutrients for a breast- or formula-fed baby.
- Buying processed foods that don’t contain rice. Look for alternatives to rice-based processed foods.
- Limiting consumption of products whose labels list rice syrup as a sweetener.
- Checking your drinking water using EWG’s Tap Water Database to see if arsenic has been detected in your water then consulting EWG’s Water Filter Buying Guide to find filters certified to remove it.
