In 2012, we recommended that babies eat no more than one serving
of infant rice cereal per day, on average, and that their diets should include cereals made from other grains.
Therefore,
feeding infants rice cereal in the bottle before bedtime does not appear to make much difference in their sleeping through the night.
* From a nutritional stand point, what do you think about giving grains,
like infant rice cereal, as a baby's first solid?
In the past, parents have been told to start
with infant rice cereal or oatmeal, followed by various colors of the vegetables, then fruits.
The potential health effects of regularly
consuming infant rice cereal — and other rice - based products — containing traces of arsenic are unclear.
All but one of the 42 containers
of infant rice cereal we tested had more arsenic than any of the 63 other cereals included in our study.
What parents can do: Parents who
include infant rice cereal in their baby's diet can immediately lower their child's arsenic exposures simply by switching to oatmeal, multi-grain, and other non-rice cereals.
The FDA's research found that more than half of
infant rice cereals sampled from U.S. retail stores in 2014 failed to meet the agency's proposed action level of 100 parts per billion of inorganic arsenic.
Millions of IQ Points, Billions of Dollars Lost Due to Arsenic Exposure Based on the literature, we demonstrate in our report that children are at risk from arsenic exposures in rice not only
from infant rice cereal, but throughout childhood.
Across the U.S. population, replacing
infant rice cereal containing arsenic with an alternate infant food not containing arsenic would result in additional annual earnings of approximately $ 1.2 to $ 1.8 billion by avoiding losses of almost 1 million IQ points per year; and
In fact, one common bit of advice we receive comes from our doctors and is in direct conflict with American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization guidelines: start feeding
infants rice cereal at three or four months of age.
FDA testing has found that most
infant rice cereals on the market already meet that standard or are close to it.
A new study found arsenic in all brands of
infant rice cereal tested, and lower levels in all brands of non-rice and multi-grain cereals.
«Babies eat infant cereal at a time in life when the brain is intensely sensitive to harm, making arsenic in
infant rice cereal uniquely risky.
The FDA says rice intake for infants, primarily
through infant rice cereal, is about three times greater than for adults relative to body weight.
In fact, more and more parents are choosing to introduce their little ones to foods such as apple, pear, banana, sweet potato or squash from the outset, as opposed to the more
traditional infant rice cereal.
Risks from arsenic in
infant rice cereal add up over time, so starting with other foods now will make a difference.
Whilst no changes have been made to recommendations for the introduction of
infant rice cereal as a first food, it is certainly worth noting that baby rice may not be as «low risk» in terms of allergenic potential as previously thought.
As of April 2016, the AAP is drafting a statement
about infant rice cereal in light of the FDA's proposed arsenic limit.
FDA testing found that «the majority of
infant rice cereal currently on the market either meets, or is close to, the proposed action level.»
Parents who
include infant rice cereal in their baby's diet can immediately lower their child's arsenic exposures simply by switching to oatmeal, multi-grain, and other non-rice cereals.
The FDA's data show that nearly half (47 percent) of
infant rice cereals sampled from retail stores in 2014 were below 100 ppb inorganic arsenic, the level set by the European Union for rice and rice products destined for infants and children.
The public health implications of arsenic contamination in food and water, particularly foods
like infant rice cereals and other commonly consumed rice products early in life, raise serious concerns.»
«Rice - based infant cereals are often the first solid food that babies eat,» the Consumer Reports article said, and cited a 2008 study from U.K. researchers that found 20 - ounce packets of dried
infant rice cereal contained 60 to 160 ppb of inorganic arsenic.
«The highest arsenic concentrations were among those who
consumed infant rice cereal,» says researcher Margaret Karagas, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine.
Traditionally, pediatricians had recommended introducing solids between 4 and 6 months and starting
with infant rice cereal.
This means that over half
of infant rice cereals sampled were over the «safe» limit, and that non-rice foods contain far less arsenic than those that do.
In first - ever tests of new, non-rice infant cereals, Healthy Babies Bright Futures and our partner organizations report that average arsenic levels
in infant rice cereals are six times higher than in other infant cereals.
Infant rice cereal is very easy on your baby's digestive system and is the least likely to contribute to an allergic reaction.
«As a pediatrician, I find it intolerable that in 2017 we still have arsenic in widely used brands of
infant rice cereal.
Widespread reporting on the problem began five years ago, when tests by Consumer Reports found arsenic in rice and rice - based foods, including
infant rice cereal.
Our tests show 84 % less arsenic in non-rice and multi-grain cereals than in
infant rice cereal, on average.
Arsenic is strictly regulated in drinking water, but is legal in any amount in
infant rice cereal.
FDA should act immediately to set an enforceable, health - based limit for arsenic in
infant rice cereal and other rice - based foods.