The Effects of Arsenic In Your Babies and Young Children's Rice Cereal Diet

A new study reveals that babies who were fed by rice cereal and other rice-based snacks had an increased level of arsenic in their urine compared with babies who were not fed rice. The study was issued in JAMA Pediatrics.

"The highest concentrations were among those who consumed infant rice cereal," said Margaret Karagas, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. She further said that those babies who ate rice snacks, the levels of concentration of arsenic were doubled compared to non-rice eaters.

The researchers were also surprised by the number of babies who consume rice products. In a study, they discovered that age 1; there was about 80 percent of babies that had been consuming rice cereal already, according to NPR.

Arsenic is a chemical element and a metalloid. It occurs in minerals and can be found in nature and in man-made products. Low concentrations of arsenic are found in water, soil and air. Food is the largest source of arsenic. This is because arsenic is taking up by plants as they grow.

Arsenic has an adverse effect on babies and young children. Exposure to this element would affect their immune systems and intellectual development. In a 2004 study, children who were exposed to arsenic in drinking water had scored lower on intellectual tests. A 50 percent increase in arsenic levels in urine would have the 0.4-point decrease in the IQ of children between the ages of 5 and 15. In another study in 2013, pregnant women who ate rice products and had exposure to inorganic arsenic in utero were linked to infant respiratory infection in their first four months. With this, they need antibiotic to cure their infections.

So, what are the things parents must do? The Food and Drug Administration advise parents to provide a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of grains for their children. For your baby's diet, they suggest that you include in their diet -- barley, oats and wheat.

The American Academy of Pediatricians also counsels parents to prepare a wide variety of food to lessen the children's exposure to arsenic from rice. They also note that other food like vegetable purees and finely chopped meats are equally acceptable as first food.