Rice-Zempic: Cloudy With A Chance Of Arsenic

Sep 24 / Drs. Bryan & Julie Walsh

The rise of GLP-1 agonists, particularly semaglutide (branded as Ozempic), has fueled a social media trend in which individuals claim to achieve similar weight-loss and satiety effects using common foods such as rice, oats, and maybe even potatoes, but more on that in a second. Influencers on platforms such as TikTok have promoted usually zany concoctions that purportedly boost your body’s own GLP-1 naturally, generating a wave of popularity, interest, and some pretty wild videos, but does the science support these claims? Let’s explore the truth behind these viral trends.

One of the most popular trends within the "Zempic" movement involves using rice water—commonly referred to as "Rice-Zempic"—to mimic the effects of semaglutide (Ozempic). The idea is that the water left after boiling or soaking rice contains digestion-resistant starch, which could have an appetite-suppressing and GLP-1 boosting effect. However, the scientific data points in a different direction.

Rice does contain some resistant starch, particularly when it is cooled after cooking. However, studies show that the amount of resistant starch in rice water is minimal at best. Most of the resistant starch remains bound within the rice grains themselves, with only negligible amounts present in the water. According to a study by Mandal et al. (2019), the cooking process does increase the amount of resistant starch in rice, but it goes from a negligible 0.22 grams of resistant starch per 100 grams of uncooked rice, to a still negligible 0.70 grams of digestion resistant starch per 100 grams of cooked rice.

Although resistant starch can improve glycemic control and satiety in certain foods, rice water—the liquid left after boiling rice—contains very little resistant starch, meaning its impact on blood sugar regulation or satiety is minimal. More alarmingly, rice is known to absorb significant amounts of arsenic from the soil in regions where groundwater is contaminated. According to research by Atiaga et al. (2020), cooking rice in arsenic-contaminated water can lead to arsenic retention, especially if the water is not discarded.

Rice grown in arsenic-endemic areas is particularly prone to absorbing inorganic arsenic. Cooking with arsenic-rich groundwater has been shown to increase the total arsenic content in both the rice grains and the discarded water, or gruel. The risk is amplified if individuals consume the rice water directly, which some proponents of Rice-Zempic suggest. This practice, while culturally common in some regions, poses a significant health hazard. In fact, consuming such rice water has been linked to elevated cancer risks, as arsenic is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.

What’s particularly concerning is that researchers are actively seeking methods to reduce arsenic exposure from rice, one of which involves boiling rice in excess water and then discarding the water to remove some of the arsenic content. However, proponents of the Rice-Zempic trend advocate for consuming the very water that should be discarded, potentially increasing arsenic intake.

In addition to the toxic risks, research has shown that arsenic can alter metabolic pathways and increase the secretion of leptin—a hormone that suppresses appetite and can result in weight loss. This may explain why some individuals feel less hungry after consuming rice water. However, this effect comes at a high cost, as chronic arsenic exposure is linked to a variety of health issues, including cancer and insulin resistance. Thus, any appetite suppression from arsenic-contaminated rice water is not a safe or sustainable method for weight management.

Rice water is not only ineffective in mimicking GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, but it also poses serious health risks. The negligible resistant starch content, combined with the potential for arsenic contamination, makes Rice-Zempic a dangerous and scientifically unsupported trend. For those looking to increase GLP-1 levels or control appetite, evidence-based approaches such as dietary fiber from safer sources are a far better option.

References

Atiaga, S., Koch, I., Moriarty, M., Corriveau, M. C., House, K., & Reimer, K. J. (2020). Effect of cooking on arsenic concentration in rice and retention of rice cooking water. Nutrients, 12(7), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071954.

Fleming, S. A., & Morris, J. R. (2024). Perspective: Potatoes, quality carbohydrates, and dietary patterns. Advances in Nutrition, 15, 100138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.10.010.

Mandal, S., Mandal, D., Sarkar, T., Chattopadhyay, R., & Kumar Das, S. (2019). Influence of arsenic-laden groundwater irrigation on rice grain arsenic content and its dietary health risk assessment. Processes, 7(6), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr7060267.

Patterson, M. A., Bottin, J. H., & Gilbertson, H. (2019). Chilled potatoes decrease postprandial glucose, insulin, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide but not glucagon-like peptide-1 or peptide YY levels. Journal of Nutrition, 149(8), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz171.

Soldevila-Domènech, N., Formenti-Panzica, A., Galbis-Estrada, C., et al. (2019). Acute exposure to arsenic influences leptin production and glucose homeostasis in rats. Nutrients, 13(10), 1764. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13101764.

Atiaga, S., Morrison, M., et al. (2020). Effect of arsenic in rice water: Potential health risks. Processes, 11(8), 2674. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11082674.

Patel, K., et al. (2023). Resistant starch and its role in glucose regulation. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(10), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.10.019.

Soldevila-Domènech, N., et al. (2019). Effect of resistant starch on postprandial glycemia and insulin sensitivity. Nutrients, 15(4), 1558. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041558.