cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/21516601
YSK rice commonly contains arsenic, but most of it can be removed by boiling in water (4:1 ratio) for 5 minutes, and discarding that water before starting the regular cook cycle.
Why you should know:
Arsenic is a carcinogen and has various other negative health effects; enough to warrant exposure limits in various jurisdictions. A five minute boil-and-discard step before cooking is a simple way to reduce your exposure, especially if you eat a lot of rice.
Details are in the study, linked in the title of this post. Here’s a diagram from the abstract:
Since we eat a lot of rice, this is probably a good thing to keep in mind.
Some more recent research in the context of Nepal:
Human Dietary Exposure to Heavy Metals via Rice in Nepal - PubMed
Yuxiao Shao et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023.