Rice

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood sugar after eating⁵

  Riceberry rice puddings gave a lower blood sugar rise than white bread in people, and added fiber made little difference.

• Concern

  Blood sugar spikes⁷

  White rice is mostly starch and digests fast, giving a high glycaemic index that is linked to type-2 diabetes.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Residue levels above limit¹¹

  In rice samples, mefentrifluconazole residues ranged from below the limit of quantification to 0.092 mg/kg, sometimes above the EU recommended limit.

• Open question

  Contaminated grain exposure¹²

  Ochratoxin A was found in over half the rice samples tested in Lebanon and the UAE.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Infant and child health³

  Rice-based foods for infants and young children often contained arsenic above the level set for that age group.

• Lifetime cancer risk from eating⁴

  Some Thai rice varieties contained heavy metals like arsenic and manganese, and eating them over a lifetime may raise cancer risk.

• Mercury in children's food⁶

  Rice in Bangladesh can carry methylmercury, and young children eating a lot may get close to the safe limit.

• Contaminated grain risks⁹

  Rice sold in Bangkok often held arsenic above the Codex limit, with brown jasmine rice highest.

• Toxin levels in grain¹⁰

  Some rice sold in Kenya carried mold toxins, but most amounts stayed low and varied by farm and miller.

• Grain contamination levels¹³

  Some rice samples in China contained mercury, mostly in the bran and brown rice.

• Eating contaminated food¹⁴

  Tiny plastic bits turned up in every Indian rice sample tested, and eating rice is one way they get into people.

How it’s made and used

• Stomach emptying after eating⁸

  In healthy people, a rice-based meal took about 5.8 hours on average to leave the stomach.

• Gluten in coated fried food¹⁵

  Rice breading used on fried croquettes had almost no gluten, while wheat breading contained a lot.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.