Is brown rice actually worse for cadmium than white rice?

What's actually in it

Rice plants pull cadmium from soil more than other grains. The metal piles up in the kidneys for life. Cadmium concentrates in the bran layer, the brown outer husk that wraps every grain. Brown rice keeps the bran, so it keeps the cadmium. White rice loses the bran in milling, which strips out most of the metal.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Sci Adv ran the numbers on rice cadmium and daily intake. The model showed that current per-kilogram cadmium limits still let heavy rice eaters cross safety lines. The bran factor matters most for daily eaters, who get a steady cadmium drip.

Mix grains. Rotate rice with oats, barley, quinoa, and pasta. Pick rice from California, Italy, or Spain where soils run lower. Rinse rice well and cook in extra water like pasta, then drain. For daily rice eaters, lean white over brown most days. Save brown for once or twice a week.