Health, Weight Loss & Diet Plans General Blog: The Crazy Amount of Arsenic You're Eating And Drinking

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                            <section class="field-body">Say it out 
loud: Arsenic. Even the name leaves a toxic taste on the tongue. And 
despite the chemical's reputation as a way to uh, "eliminate" one's 
spouse (really—arsenic poisoning was a thing among women in 19th century
 England, according to this article from <em>The New Yorker</em>), it's actually an everyday part of our diets.<br />

Thing is, taking in too much of the stuff can lead to skin, lung, and bladder cancers,
 as well as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Which is why you should
 be aware of the various foods and beverages you're probably getting it 
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Arsenic is both naturally occurring (thanks, minerals from dissolved 
rock and soil) and manmade (hello, pesticides and insecticides). The 
natural stuff is called organic arsenic, and it's thought to be nontoxic
 and is normally just excreted by the body. The manmade stuff, however, 
is called inorganic arsenic, and is a known carcinogen—that's the stuff to look out for.<br />

Another thing about arsenic? It's got a super-long lifespan, so even 
though arsenic-containing pesticides are now prohibited, their residue 
remains in the soil for quite a while. Basically, you can't escape it, 
but you can limit your exposure by simply varying your diet, suggests 
Kathryn Cottingham, author of the <em>Nutrition Journal</em> study 
referenced below. "Try to eat a diverse, healthy diet that doesn't rely 
on just a few foods day in and day out. That way, even if a few foods 
are high in arsenic, you're lowering your overall exposure," she says. 
Below, a few foods that you shouldn't totally cut from your diet—but 
shouldn't be eating every day, either. (Try the 12-day liver detox for total body health!)<br />

<strong>Dark meat fish<br />
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 There's a laundry list of benefits that come with adding fish to your diet: A smaller waistline, fewer worries of developing diabetes, better brainpower (not to mention less time spent in the kitchen). But there's one tiny element (literally) that isn't so great for you—the amount of arsenic in your favorite seafood dish. A study published in the <em>Nutrition Journal</em>
 examined the dietary patterns and toenail clippings (yes, toenail 
clippings—ingested inorganic arsenic, a.k.a the bad kind, collects to 
the keratin at the base of toenails and provides insight on arsenic 
exposure) of 852 New Hampshire residents. Researchers found that arsenic
 levels were 7.4% higher in both males and females who ate at least one 
serving of fish each week, compared to those who only ate fish once a 
month. Seafood classified as dark meat fish (like tuna steaks, mackerel,
 salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish) were the top arsenic 
offenders. Organic arsenic is actually found in all types of fish. But 
this study found that the organic arsenic found in dark meat fish was 
actually converted into inorganic arsenic as it was metabolized by the 
body. Researchers aren't sure why this happens with dark meat fish and 
not other types of fish. But this is a tricky situation since fish 
contain some of the healthiest omega-3 fats. If you're limiting arsenic 
consumption in other parts of your diet (fewer happy hours, more quinoa 
instead of rice), you should keep eating fish for health reasons.<br />
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<strong>Beer and wine<br />
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 Not to put a damper on your happy hour plans or anything, but both beer and wine
 are arsenic-laden. The same study among New Hampshire residents found 
that, in women, toenail arsenic concentrations were more than 20% higher
 for those who drank 5 to 6 glasses of wine each week compared to those 
who didn't indulge. It's all in the grapes, hops, and rice, according to
 researchers, as they very easily pick up contaminants from soil. 
Another study published in the <em>Journal of Environmental Health</em>
 dove a little deeper regarding the arsenic found in wine and discovered
 that, among 65 wines from the top four wine producing states in the US,
 every single one of them had arsenic levels greater than the 
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) exposure limit for drinking 
water (10 parts per billion). The average amount of arsenic detected in 
the wines was 23.3ppb—or 13.3ppb over the legal limit. (Then again, 
you're not drinking wine like it's water, so don't get too worked up.) 
All types of wine were tested, but red wines that were grown and 
produced in Washington state had some of the highest concentrations, 
with one cabernet sauvignon made in Walla Walla clocking in at 75.9ppb.<br />

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<strong>Rice and rice products<br />
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A few years ago our favorite grain gave us quite a scare. Testing done by <em>Consumer Reports</em> found
 that rice—brown and white—has much higher concentrations of arsenic 
than other fruits, grains, and vegetables. The org tested the arsenic 
levels of 223 samples of uncooked rice and rice-containing foods—the 
products ranged from 3 to 222 ppb of inorganic arsenic (again, the 
not-so-good kind). Researchers believe rice plants have a greater 
tendency to soak up the naturally occurring arsenic in soil and 
water—ultimately soaking up the arsenic-based pesticides used in the 
past, as well. Even worse, brown rice may have even more arsenic content
 than white rice, due to less processing. Your stir-frys and pilafs 
aren't the only things at risk—other rice products like organic brown 
rice syrup, cereal and energy bars, and even those energy gels runners 
love so much contain more arsenic than you think.<br />

A study published in the journal <em>Environmental Health Perspectives</em> found
 that inorganic arsenic made up 80-90% of the total arsenic content of 
the three rice syrups researchers tested. And because cereal, energy 
bars, and energy gels are often sweetened with brown rice syrup,
 their arsenic levels were also pretty high (of the 12 energy bars 
tested, 11 had inorganic arsenic concentrations of more than 50% of the 
total arsenic contents).<br />

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<strong>Brussels Sprouts<br />
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 Let us formally apologize for foodies everywhere—your beloved brussels 
and other cruciferous plants have statistically significant amounts of 
arsenic, according to the New Hampshire study. Researchers found that 
those who ate brussels at least once a week had toenail arsenic levels 
that were 10% higher than their non-brussel-eating counterparts. The 
high concentrations of sulfur in cruciferous vegetables may be to blame,
 according to researchers, as arsenic more easily binds to 
sulfur-containing compounds. But again, brussels (and kale, broccoli, 
cauliflower, etc.) are among the healthiest vegetables you can eat (not 
to mention totally delicious),
 so if you're a sprout-a-day eater, it may be wise to pare that down 
just a tad to still get the health benefits of your favorite veggies 
without the extra dash of arsenic.<br />

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Okay, so at this point you're wondering what the heck you can eat and
 not worry about, right? Here's a word of advice from David Katz, 
director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center: "My advice 
is not to ignore this, but to focus on wholesome foods in sensible 
combinations," he says. "We know, in general, the net effects of foods 
on health, and those effects are a result of both the good and the bad. 
So, for instance, eating fish is consistently good, despite the 
contaminants in fish. This indicates the good outweighs the bad. 
Unfortunately, we have damaged our planet, so completely 'pure' food is 
no longer an option down here. What we should focus on is the overall 
health effects."</section></div>
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<section class="field-body"><br />

The Crazy Amount of Arsenic You're Eating And Drinking—And How To Avoid It

Say it out loud: Arsenic. Even the name leave...