LITTLE ROCK — For years we’ve heard don’t eat-rice advice.
Too many calories. Too many carbohydrates.
And now there’s a crop of new concerns.
Too many carcinogens. Too many chemicals.
After publishing results of its recent investigation, “Arsenic In Your Food,” Consumer Reports (consumerreports.com) is urging the federal government to set limits for this toxin associated with higher rates of skin, bladder and lung cancers and heart disease.
“Organic rice baby cereal, rice breakfast cereals, brown rice, white rice - new tests by Consumer Reports have found that those and other types of rice products on grocery shelves contain arsenic, many at worrisome levels,” according to the report. “Arsenic not only is a potent human carcinogen but also can set up children for other health problems in later life.”
Consumer Reports further points out: “White rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, which account for 76 percent of domestic rice, generally had higher levels of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in our tests than rice samples from elsewhere.”
Is there a grain of truth to these findings?
The USA Rice Federation has responded to the magazine’s report.
“We are aware of concerns about the level of arsenic in food, but are not aware of any established studies directly connecting rice consumption and adverse health effects,” Anne Banville, the federation’s vice president of domestic promotion, has been quoted as saying.
“In fact, populations with high rice consumption are associated with less overall disease rates and with better health, and scientific studies show that people who eat rice have healthier diets.”
According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Based on a preliminary review of FDA’s testing of approximately 200 initial samples of rice and rice products, we find that the results from Consumer Reports appear to be consistent with those we are reporting based on our initial testing.” They’ll continue researching.
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement, “Our advice right now is that consumers should continue to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of grains- not only for good nutrition, but also to minimize any potential consequences from consuming any one particular food.”
So while these entities study the subject, consumers are left with a dilemma: What exactly are we supposed to eat? What doesn’t contain undesirable ingredients, attributes and side effects?
Bread? Beer? Cookies? Crackers? Cereal? Pasta? They’ve got gluten.
Milk? Cheese? Ice cream? Yogurt? They contain lactose.
Eggs? Burgers? Steak? Chicken? Seafood? Liver? There’s that cholesterol thing.
Margarine? Baked goods? Fast food? Energy bars? Salad dressings? Many contain trans fats.
Soups? Bacon? Potato chips? Pickles? Olives? They’re packed with sodium.
Peanuts? Tree nuts? Soy? They - plus milk, eggs, fish, shellfish and wheat - account for 90 percent of allergic reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
At least we still have vegetables, fruits and water, right? No, no and no. Going back to the Consumer Reports’ article: Rice “isn’t the only dietary source of arsenic - some vegetables, fruits, and even water can harbor it.”
It’s official. We can’t eat anything. We’re just going to have to go on a juice fast!
Never mind. Consumer Reports released an “Arsenic in Your Juice” report in January.
Chew on it, e-mail:
What’s in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman ’hood.
Style, Pages 27 on 09/25/2012