Arsenic content and exposure in brown rice compared to white rice in the United States

Brown rice is often considered a healthy alternative to white rice due to the additional nutrients contained within the rice bran. However, the proposition of improved health outcomes by replacing white rice with brown rice in diets ignores a potential food safety concern: arsenic exposure. In this manuscript, we seek to critically compare potential arsenic exposure and the associated risks between brown and white rice for US populations. Rice bran and brown rice are shown to have a higher arsenic content and inorganic arsenic concentration than the grain endosperm or white rice. Americans who regularly consume brown rice versus white rice were found to have higher estimated arsenic exposures. Because young children consume considerably more food relative to their bodyweights than adults, brown rice consumption in young children was found to more substantially increase foodborne arsenic exposures. However, there are no acute public health risks indicated for the general American population from rice-related arsenic exposures. Risk-benefit analyses are needed to assess relative risks of arsenic exposure in brown rice compared with the nutritional benefits, in comparison to white rice.