According to Consumer Reports Magazine, eating rice once a day can increase arsenic levels in the body up to 44 percent.
Consumer Reports sampled a large variety of rice and rice products ranging from babies' cereal to adult foods. Many were found to have "worrisome levels of arsenic."
The magazine recommends limited intake of rice especially in baby diets. It is also recommended that the rice is rinsed and boiled in a 6 to 1 water ratio which will eliminate up to 30 percent of the arsenic levels in the foods.
In an interview with ABC News, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that their test results showed similar results as the testing performed by Consumer Reports. Hamburg did conclude that there is no immediate danger.
"We are not recommending that consumers need to change their consumption of rice products in dramatic ways. We think the best advice is a balanced diet," said Hamburg.
People consuming a gluten-free diet can find these recommendations troublesome as rice is a key grain in many gluten-free foods.
Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency sets limits of arsenic in drinking water but not in foods. The amounts of arsenic found in these rice products can be up to one and a half times the EPA limits in water.
Arsenic, a carcinogen found in the soil, is a proven cancer contributor in water, but it is scientifically unknown what the results of consumption from food are.
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