Does a Gluten-free Diet Mean Higher Arsenic and Mercury Levels?

Very little helpful information in this article. The article points to increased levels of arsenic in rice, a gluten free diet staple... but what about in other foods? People on a gluten free diet are already used to managing their food intake...so please give us a few more guidelines. There's no mention of what foods constitute an increased risk of exposure to mercury in a gluten free diet.

Jefferson, do you know if any of the people were tested for arsenic and mercury before going on the gluten-free diet? I do wish these studies had more detail. A lot of this makes sense as almost all the processed food out there is based on rice and rice is notorious for having arsenic. All the more reason to eat a whole food diet AMAP. I feel for the children whose parents are not hip to this knowledge. Many of them will have life long problems like learning disabilities, hearing loss and neurological issues, depending on how much exposure they have.

I have been reading that rice has arsenic in it so this would make sense that gluten-free dieters have more arsenic in their urine. Rice is one of the most substituted ingredients that I have found in the gluten-free diet. In fact I have developed a sensitivity to rice since being on the gluten-free diet for over 10 years. Whenever I eat rice, my skin breaks out in a rash now. I am finding it difficult to find ready made gluten-free breads, cakes, etc without rice flour. So maybe this link to arsenic should be investigated as well.

That was my first thought about higher levels of arsenic--rice. It is reputed to have high levels of arsenic. I eat a fair amount of rice as my starch and imagine others do too.