{"id":6701,"date":"2016-04-26T11:11:34","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T15:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/news\/?p=6701"},"modified":"2016-05-04T16:31:56","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T20:31:56","slug":"infants-who-ate-rice-rice-products-had-higher-urinary-concentrations-of-arsenic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/news\/2016\/infants-who-ate-rice-rice-products-had-higher-urinary-concentrations-of-arsenic\/","title":{"rendered":"Infants Who Ate Rice, Rice Products Had Higher Urinary Concentrations of Arsenic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although rice and rice products are typical first foods for infants, a new Dartmouth-led study<\/a> found that infants who ate rice and rice products had higher urinary arsenic concentrations than those who did not consume any type of rice, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Arsenic\u00a0exposure from rice is a concern for infants and children. Infant rice cereal may contain inorganic\u00a0arsenic concentrations that exceed the recommendation from the Codex Alimentarius Commission of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations of 200 ng\/g for polished white rice, the new European Union regulations of 100 ng\/g for products aimed at infants, and the proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration limit\u00a0for infant rice cereal.<\/p>\n

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Audio Interview<\/h4>\n

\"karagas-sqr\"<\/a>JAMA Pediatrics interviewed\u00a0Margaret Karagas, PhD, about arsenic exposure in infants. Listen here...<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The consumption of rice in early childhood has not been well described in the United States and there are only limited data from other regions of the world. Some epidemiologic evidence suggests that\u00a0arsenic exposure in utero and early in life may be associated with adverse effects on fetal growth, and on infant and child immune and neurodevelopment outcomes.<\/p>\n

Margaret R. Karagas, PhD, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Dartmouth's\u00a0Geisel School of Medicine, and coauthors examined the frequency with which infants at rice and rice-containing products in their first year of life, as well as the association with\u00a0concentrations in the urine.<\/p>\n

The current study included 759 infants born to mothers in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study from 2011 to 2014. The infants were followed up with phone interviews every four months until 12 months of age. At 12 months, dietary patterns during the past week were assessed, including whether the infant had eaten rice cereal, white or brown rice, or foods either made with rice, such as rice-based snacks, or sweetened with brown rice syrup, such as some brands of cereal bars.<\/p>\n

Infant urine samples were collected beginning in 2013 along with a 3-day food diary. More detailed information on diet and total urinary\u00a0arsenic\u00a0at 12 months was available for 129 infants, with data on urinary\u00a0arsenic\u00a0species available for 48 infants.<\/p>\n

The authors report that:<\/p>\n