Beware of Arsenic Poisoning in Rice Products
I bought this product and I have been using for a while. Rice Bran is a true nutrition powerhouse. It is made from the hull and germ of rice; this is the part that is shaved off to yield white rice. Taking out this nutrient dense part of course gives white rice a long shelf life but also makes it lacking in essential nutrients. Two servings of most rice bran products will give you loads of B vitamins, vitamin E and almost your recommended daily allowance of Magnesium and Phosphorus. In addition it has an immune booster called Inositol hexaphosphate. I prefer getting my essential nutrients from food sources and not from pills if possible.<br />My experience with this product (the tub is almost finished) is that it mixes very well with my morning smoothie and actually gives it a sweet taste (not overpowering), it does have a mild energizing effect. So why have I given this product 1 star? I will actually five it zero star if possible.<br />I did some research recently showing that since rice is planted in water logged land, it is more susceptible to arsenic toxicity. The water enhances the absorption of the arsenic and other toxins. More arsenic has been found in the hull and germ of brown rice compared to white rice. Also, rice grown in the Southern U.S. is commonly exposed to inorganic arsenic which is still found in the soils there from past use of inorganic arsenic based pesticides. Places like California never used inorganic arsenic based pesticides therefore the arsenic taken up by the rice grown in California is naturally occurring.<br />I had bought Nutra Bio Stabilized Bran, Bob's Red Mill, Stabilized Rice Bran, Natural Traditions Rice Bran & Germ Powder at some point or another (all at different stages of being finished). I was also considering buying Sunfood Tocotrienols/Rice Bran Solubles. So based on my research on potential arsenic toxicity, I decided to write to all the companies to confirm the source of their rice bran and if they did any third party lab testing. I sent my enquiry more than two weeks ago, up till now, I haven’t received any response from Bob's Red Mill and Natural traditions. Nutra Bio responded saying “we are unsure as to what part of the country that the Stabilized Rice Bran comes from. We are also unsure as to what the international safe levels for arsenic are”. I was aghast! Arsenic is probably the number one carcinogenic toxin. The only third party testing that Nutra Bio sent to me was a 2014 test and their customer service said additionally about the 2014 tests that “the tests that we have are the most up-to-date tests that we have. Until they are out of date, we are still authorized by the FDA to use those tests”. Sunfood response says their rice bran is sourced from California, but the third party tests sent did not show the level of ‘inorganic arsenic’ which is the real culprit.<br />These are the probably the top brands of rice bran in the market, and in my own assessment they fall short by their response or lack of it. If you take a rice product, be aware of arsenic poisoning. Unfortunately the supplement is not strictly regulated and these manufacturers, just like ‘Big Pharma’ are out to get your hard earned money, they really don’t care about your health and that of your family. Please do your research. Despite the huge benefits from rice bran, I will be discontinuing its use until I can get a manufacturer that sells an organic variety with third party lab tests for every batch. Hope this helps someone out there.
Rating: 1 stars