Warning for Parents: Toxic Lead Levels in Imported Rice

April 16, 2013

BoywithRiceCakeA new press release from the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians reveals that rice not manufactured in the US has high levels of lead that are causing toxic reactions in children.

US companies must maintain strict quality control measures when importing foods and herbs from other countries. The study cited was just presented at the American Chemical Society’s meeting and is extremely concerning, especially because of the gluten free trend in children’s foods. Manufacturers are turning to rice based products as an alternative for wheat.

There was concern over high arsenic levels in rice in late 2012. For now, to be on the safe side, I recommend avoiding rice-based infant and children products altogether.  There are other options for grains if desired, that promote balanced nutritional health, such as quinoa.

In health,

Dr. Gina

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TOXIC LEVELS OF LEAD COMMON IN IMPORTED RICE, RICE FLOUR: A new study has found that the rice imported into North America from Asia, Europe and South America contains very high levels of lead that represents serious health risks, particularly for infants and children, who are especially sensitive to its effects, and adults of Asian heritage who consume larger amounts of rice. (Rice and rice flour imports to the US have tripled since 1999 and rice is the staple food for 3 billion people worldwide. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys. It causes potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders in children.) The researchers found that for children, the daily exposure levels from eating the rice products imported from these countries would be 30 to 60 times higher than the FDA provisional total tolerable intake (PTTI) levels; for adults, the daily exposure levels were 20 to 40 times higher than the PTTI levels. This study was presented in New Orleans at the meeting of the American Chemical Society. The full report will be available when it is published in a journal at a later time.

2 Comments | Childhood Nutrition, Heavy Metals, Industry News, Latest Nutritional Research, Prevention | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

Antioxidants can Protect the Body from Heavy Metal Toxicity

November 10, 2008

A new research study just published in Food and Chemical Toxicology points to the potential benefit of antioxidant therapy as a way to prevent and treat lead toxicity. This study was done on mice, and demonstrated that the underlying cause of lead toxicity is the production of free radicals that causes cellular damage.  Antioxidant therapy is an effective way to neutralize free radicals and potentially protect or treat the body from the damaging effects of heavy metals like lead.  The same mechanism holds true for other toxic metals including mercury, cadmium and arsenic.

This makes a lot of sense since free radicals tend to congregate within the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) where the DNA is also housed.  Hence free radicals lead to DNA or genetic damage.  Antioxidants bind to free radicals and render them inactive so that they cannot damage the most vulnerable areas within the cell.

fruits_and_vegetables2

One of my favorite combinations for optimizing antioxidant status in the body is one scoop of ITI greens mixed with one heaping tablespoon of LTP Green Light in about 8 oz of water.  This   combination provides antioxidants in their most bio-available, potent and effective form, as designed by nature in its infinite brilliance – whole foods.  These green products also bind to toxins within the body and pull them out of stored tissues, oxygenates the blood, and are a critical foundational element to overall health and vitality.

I believe that everyone will benefit from taking steps daily to remove heavy metals from their system and to optimize their antioxidant capacity through whole, organic green foods.  I also recommend a 3 week systemic cleanse, at least two times per year to optimize your health and feel energized to fulfill your purpose(s) in Life.

In Health,

Dr. G

4 Comments | Diet and Disease, Heavy Metals, Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutritional Supplements and Disease, Prevention, Toxins and Detoxification | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick

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