The Study
The assessment of rice cultivars widely produced in Turkey in terms of arsenic, cadmium, aluminum and copper: effect of soaking methods and household cooking
This study just measured how much metal was in some rice before and after soaking it in vinegar or salt water. It didn't test if this made people healthier or if it works the same for all rice. So we can only say what happened in the lab, not what it means for real life.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if soaking rice in water or salt water before cooking helps wash away harmful metals.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means soaking could make rice much safer to eat, especially if it's grown in polluted areas.
- 2Soaking the dirtiest rice in salt water or vinegar water for 12 hours removed: 58% of arsenic, 100% of cadmium, 98% of aluminum, and 86% of copper.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Cogent Food & Agriculture
Year
2025
Authors
K. V. Özdokur, Seyhan Özdokur, Abdulaziz Güneş, N. Ertugay, M. F. Ertugay
Related Content
Claims (3)
Soaking rice in water and throwing out the water lowers the amount of arsenic left in the rice.
Soaking the most contaminated rice in a solution of 1% acetic acid or 1% salt for 12 hours reduced arsenic by 57.8%, cadmium by 100%, aluminum by 98%, and copper by 85.7% compared to rice that was not soaked, under laboratory cooking conditions.
Different types of rice grown in Türkiye contain different amounts of heavy metals, with one variety having the highest levels of arsenic, cadmium, aluminum, and copper.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.