Although less than 1 percent of Americans have celiac disease, gluten-free diets remain all the rage in the United States. Yet, a new study suggests a potentially harmful ingredients may be hiding in this trendy type of food.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago report that rice flour, which is used as a substitute for wheat, tends to accumulate toxic metals that can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and neurological illness. The arsenic and mercury get into the rice via fertilizers, soil and water, and other studies have previously linked the toxic metals to rice.
