Loading...
Rice, a component of first foods for many infants, contains arsenic, which may have adverse developmental effects early in life. The FDA recently proposed a limit on the amount of inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal of 100 parts per billion (Physician's First Watch Apr 4 2016); however, the amount of arsenic to which infants are exposed from eating rice products is unknown. Researchers evaluated rice consumption and urinary arsenic levels in infants enrolled in a birth-cohort study in New Hampshire.
Among 759 infants whose parents completed dietary interviews, 80% started eating rice cereal within the first year of life, most at age 4 to 6 months. By age 12 months, 43% had eaten a rice product (e.g., puffed rice snacks) in the past week.…