The arsenic in rice and its products can be dangerous for patients with celiac disease.
Rice is one of the few grains that can be eaten by people with celiac disease. But it contains high levels of arsenic, a substance toxic to the body. This is what reveals the results of analyzes of flour, cakes, breads, pasta and other rice-based foods, published in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants and in the Journal of Food Science.
For the majority of people, the arsenic levels in rice are not a problem because they do not consume it every day. Gluten intolerant people make this cereal their staple diet, in its simple or processed form. However, there would be, in rice-based products, “significant quantities” of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic, a toxic form which reacts with various elements (oxygen, chlorine, sulfur, etc.).
Risky levels
“The European Union has not yet established legal limits on the maximum amount of arsenic in rice and rice-based products, but it is working on it,” says Angel Carbonell, co-author of the two studies. But the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an opinion in 2009: an arsenic intake between 0.3 and 8 µg / kg of body weight increases the risk of lung, skin or bladder cancer. .
However, in people with celiac disease, the daily consumption of arsenic would reach 0.45 µg / kg in men and women weighing 58 to 75 kg. In children, it even oscillates between 0.61 and 0.78 µg / kg.
Mention the origin of rice
To reduce the risk of poisoning, the researchers’ recommendations are clear: limit arsenic levels in rice-based foods when they are intended for people with gluten intolerance. Mentioning the amount of inorganic arsenic should be systematic, but the team also suggests specifying the origin of the rice and the variety used. As we know, certain regions, such as India or Bangladesh, have a soil richer in arsenic. In others, such as Doñana National Park (Spain), the soil is very poor in this chemical.
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