In parts of India where the water and soil are naturally polluted with arsenic, rice soaks up way more of this toxic stuff than wheat does—so people who eat a lot of rice are getting more arsenic in their bodies than those who eat wheat.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

40

Community contributions welcome

40

Assessing Cancer Risk from Wheat and Rice Based Diets in Arsenic Endemic Regions of the Middle Ganga Plain, India: Identification of Hotspots and Risk Reduction Strategies

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

This study found that rice in arsenic-contaminated areas of India has up to three times more arsenic than wheat, because of how rice grows, the water it’s watered with, and the soil—just like the claim said.

Contradicting (0)

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Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Assessing Cancer Risk from Wheat and Rice Based Diets in Arsenic Endemic Regions of the Middle Ganga Plain, India: Identification of Hotspots and Risk Reduction Strategies

Score: 40

DOI: 10.1007/s12403-025-00747-8

Similar Assertions

Scientists found that shorter, stockier types of wheat and rice soak up about half as much toxic arsenic from the soil as the tall, slow-growing kinds—so breeding these shorter crops could help people in dirty areas eat safer food.

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81%

Washing your rice and wheat with three times as much water as grain before cooking can wash away some harmful arsenic, which might lower your chance of getting cancer if you eat these foods every day.

40

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74%