Japan Offspring Fund (JOF) Monthly Newsletter
April 2005, No.192

3) White rice which has been oxidized

One risk factor for atopy appears to be old milled white rice. White rice is commonly eaten in Japan, and the allergenic properties due to oxidization of the oils in rice seem to be a problem. Changing to freshly milled white rice improved the atopy with 70 percent in Dr. Terasawa's patients. Most success stories of improved atopy related to white rice are among young infants, but there is also a case of a high school student, whose atopy improved.

In Japan, milled white rice is often stored for a long time, in such a way that it oxygenizes. Dr. Terasawa found many cases of atopy in Miyagi prefecture, where his pediatric clinic is located. As this is a traditional rice-growing area, he searched for the cause. It became evident that the local practice of milling rice in mechanical milling machines in rice shops left some rice in the machines for a long time. Such left-over rice was then mixed with the freshly milled rice. Another problem could be the "coin-operated rice milling machines" common in some parts of Japan. With the coin operated rice milling machines, rice bran can not be removed completely, so the rice oxygenizes easily. Dr. Terasawa concluded that this could be a cause of the high rate of atopy in the area.

A good solution is to purchase only the amount of rice you and your family will consume within a short period, at most for one month. Thus your children will not be exposed to old rice. In other words, rice should be left un-polished for as long as possible, and only polished as you are ready to consume it.