Arsenic levels were elevated in pregnant women who ate moderate amounts of rice, but the implications of this finding remain unknown.
Arsenic can cause headache, confusion, nausea, and diarrhea and has been linked anecdotally to stroke, diabetes (Cezanne), and psychological problems (Van Gogh), including depression and developmental disability. Environmental sources include drinking water and rice. Arsenic levels in rice depend on the location of the rice paddy. These researchers assessed urinary arsenic excretion in 229 pregnant women in New Hampshire (where well water can have elevated arsenic concentrations) and assessed its relationship to rice consumption in a 3-day period.
The investigators estimated that participants consumed a median of 0.27 µg/day of arsenic through tap water. Those who drank or cooked with tap water had urinary arsenic concentrations associated w…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)