Rice vs sweet potato: vitamin A on one side, arsenic on the other

Orange sweet potato has a trial result that white rice cannot match. In a randomized trial in 180 South African children aged 5 to 10, 4.4 oz (125 g) of boiled mashed orange sweet potato on 53 school days improved a marker of liver vitamin A stores against white-fleshed sweet potato. The effect was modest (-0.008, 95% CI -0.015 to -0.001 on the marker ratio). The table explains why. Per 100 g, baked sweet potato gives 82 calories, 18 g carbohydrate, 3.1 g fiber, 699 mcg vitamin A and 504 mg potassium, a vitamin A figure that holds only for orange-fleshed varieties. Plain white rice gives 129 calories, 28 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g fiber, no vitamin A and 35 mg potassium. Rice has its own trial. Swapping white rice for parboiled brown rice for 3 months in 166 overweight adults in Chennai did not change glucose or HbA1c overall, and lowered HbA1c by 0.18 points only in the subgroup with metabolic syndrome.

How much is actually in it

• Per 100 g, baked sweet potato gives 82 calories, 18 g carbohydrate, 3.1 g fiber, 699 mcg vitamin A and 504 mg potassium, against 129 calories, 28 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g fiber, no vitamin A and 35 mg potassium in plain cooked white rice. — US survey food codes, FNDDS 2021-2023 (n = 2 food codes) Evidence E source
  Sweet potato: 47 fewer calories, about 8x fiber, 14x potassium per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• The UK composition table gives baked sweet potato 115 calories, 27.9 g carbohydrate, 14.5 g sugars, 5.2 g AOAC fiber and 5140 mcg carotene per 3.5 oz (100 g), higher than the US baked figure. — UK composition table (n = 1 food code) Evidence E source
  UK baked value 115 calories vs US 82 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• One cup of cooked white rice (158 g) gives 204 calories and 44 g carbohydrate, while one medium baked sweet potato (150 g) gives 123 calories, 27 g carbohydrate and 1049 mcg vitamin A. — US survey portion weights, FNDDS 2021-2023 (n = 2 food codes) Evidence E source
  The usual sweet potato portion has about 40 percent fewer calories and carbohydrate than a cup of rice

What your body absorbs

• In a 10 week RCT in Bangladeshi women with low vitamin A, orange sweet potato raised plasma beta-carotene, frying it gave a slightly higher rise than boiling, but body vitamin A stores did not differ between groups. — Bangladeshi women with low initial vitamin A status, 30 per group, 6 days a week for 10 weeks (n = 110 analyzed) Evidence B source
  Plasma beta-carotene 0.10 to 0.18 umol/L, higher with OFSP (P < 0.0001), fried vs boiled P = 0.07; body vitamin A pool no group difference
• In an RCT in 180 South African children aged 5 to 10, 4.4 oz (125 g) of boiled mashed orange sweet potato on 53 school days improved liver vitamin A stores compared with white sweet potato. — primary school children aged 5-10, 90 per group, 53 school days (n = 180) Evidence B source
  DR:R ratio -0.008 (95% CI -0.015 to -0.001) vs control

What cooking and storage change

• A systematic review found the glycemic index of rice ranges from 48 to 93 depending on variety, parboiling and home cooking, storage and reheating. — published glycemic index tests of rice up to July 2014 (n = not stated in abstract) Evidence C source
  GI 48 to 93; insulin index 39 to 95
• A meta-analysis of 15 cooking studies found that cooking rice lowered its arsenic, lead and cadmium content, by 0.04 mg/kg on average. — 15 laboratory cooking studies (n = 15 studies) Evidence D source
  Arsenic, lead and cadmium WMD -0.04 mg/kg (95% CI -0.05 to -0.03)

What it does to your health

• In a 3 month crossover RCT in 166 overweight adults in India, swapping white rice for brown rice did not change glucose or HbA1c overall, but lowered HbA1c by 0.18 points in those with metabolic syndrome. — 166 overweight adults aged 25-65, Chennai, 3 months per arm (n = 166) Evidence B source
  HbA1c -0.18 (se 0.08) % with metabolic syndrome vs +0.05 without; no overall difference
• A meta-analysis of 7 cohorts with 352,384 people linked the highest white rice intake to 55 percent higher type 2 diabetes risk in Asian populations, with no clear link in Western populations. — 352,384 participants, 13,284 cases, follow-up 4 to 22 years (n = 352384) Evidence C source
  RR 1.55 (95% CI 1.20 to 2.01) Asian; RR 1.12 (0.94 to 1.33) Western; RR 1.11 per daily serving
• In 1881 Costa Rican adults, starchy vegetables including purple sweet potato were not linked to metabolic syndrome after adjustment, and were linked to lower fasting glucose. — 1881 Costa Rican adults (n = 1881) Evidence C source
  No significant trend for MetS after adjustment; inverse association with fasting glucose

Safety, limits and interactions

• A scoping review of 580 baby foods found 30 percent of rice mixes above the international arsenic limit, with a median of 0.048 mg/kg. — 75 studies, 580 baby foods and 251 infant formulas worldwide (n = 580 baby foods) Evidence C source
  Rice mixes: median arsenic 0.048 mg/kg, 30% over the maximum level
• Among 2323 US children aged 6 to 17, each extra quarter cup of cooked rice a day was linked to 14 percent higher urinary arsenic. — 2323 children aged 6-17, NHANES 2003-2008 (n = 2323) Evidence C source
  +14.2% (95% CI 11.3 to 17.1%) urinary arsenic per 0.25 cup

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU register lists no authorized health claim for rice. A claim that black rice keeps the heart and arteries healthy and lowers cholesterol was not authorized. — EU register of nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  0 authorized rice claims; black rice claim non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• In a US survey of 2635 infants and toddlers, 58 percent of babies aged 6 to 12 months ate rice or rice foods on a given day, mostly as snacks and infant cereal. — 2635 US infants and toddlers 0-24 months, FITS 2016 (n = 2635) Evidence C source
  58.2% at 6-11.9 months; snacks 32.1%, infant cereal 27.9%

What is still unknown

• A meta-analysis of rice cohorts found higher chronic disease risk in women but not in men and called for further studies, and no trial in the corpus compares rice with sweet potato head to head. — 12 cohort studies, 17 risk estimates (n = 12 studies) Evidence C source
  Women RR 1.40 (1.13 to 1.73); men RR 0.95 (0.72 to 1.24)

The bottom line

At a normal portion the gap stays. One cup of cooked white rice, 158 g, gives 204 calories and 44 g carbohydrate, and one medium baked sweet potato, 150 g, gives 123 calories, 27 g carbohydrate and 1049 mcg vitamin A, recalculated from the 100 g values. The UK table puts baked sweet potato higher, at 115 calories, 27.9 g carbohydrate, 14.5 g sugars and 5.2 g fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g), probably from water loss in baking and variety. Blood levels do not always turn into stores. In a 10 week trial in Bangladeshi women with low vitamin A, orange sweet potato raised plasma beta-carotene, frying it gave a slightly higher rise than boiling (P = 0.07), and total body vitamin A stores did not differ between groups. For diabetes the rice evidence is observational. A meta-analysis of cohorts with 352,384 people linked the highest white rice intake to more type 2 diabetes in Asian populations (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.01), where people eat three to four servings a day. In Western populations eating one to two a week the figure was 1.12 (0.94 to 1.33) and did not reach significance. Another cohort meta-analysis found higher chronic disease risk with rice in women (RR 1.40) and none in men (0.95), with high heterogeneity between studies. In 1881 Costa Rican adults, starchy vegetables including purple sweet potato showed no link with metabolic syndrome after adjustment. How rice is made matters. A review of feeding tests found its glycemic index runs from 48 to 93 depending on variety, parboiling, cooking, storage and reheating, and the tests were not pooled. Across 15 laboratory studies, cooking cut arsenic, lead and cadmium in rice by 0.04 mg/kg on average. Arsenic is the caution for small children. A review of 580 baby foods found rice mixes at a median of 0.048 mg/kg arsenic, with 30 percent over the maximum level, across methods and countries that varied widely. Among 2323 US children aged 6 to 17, each extra quarter cup of cooked rice a day went with 14.2 percent more arsenic in urine, an exposure marker from a single day of recall. In the US, 58.2 percent of babies aged 6 to 12 months ate rice or rice foods on a given day, mostly snacks and infant cereal. We found no card on pregnancy or medicines. The EU lists no authorized health claim for rice, and a heart claim for black rice was refused because the evidence fell short at assessment.

Sources

1. risw-r2-01 · dataset
   FNDDS 2708408 Rice, white, cooked, no added fat: Energy 129 kcal · Carbohydrate 27.99 g · Fiber 0.4 g · Vitamin A, RAE 0 ug · Potassium 35 mg per 100 g | FNDDS 2709699 Sweet potato, baked, no added fat: Energy 82 kcal · Carbohydrate 17.98 g · Fiber 3.1 g · Vitamin A, RAE 699 ug · Potassium 504 mg per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, fdc_id 2708408 (Rice, white, cooked, no added fat) and 2709699 (Sweet potato, baked, no added fat) · checked 2026-09-30
2. risw-r2-03 · dataset
   CoFID 13-672 Sweet potato, baked: Energy 115 kcal · Carbohydrate 27.9 g · Total sugars 14.5 g · AOAC fibre 5.2 g · Protein 1.6 g · Potassium 480 mg · Carotene 5140 ug
   CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0), code 13-672 Sweet potato, baked · checked 2026-09-30
3. risw-r2-02 · dataset
   FNDDS 2708408 Rice, white, cooked, no added fat: 1 cup, cooked 158 g 203.8 kcal · Carbohydrate 44.2 g | FNDDS 2709699 Sweet potato, baked, no added fat: 1 medium 150 g 123.0 kcal · Carbohydrate 27.0 g · Vitamin A, RAE 1048.5 ug
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 portions, fdc_id 2708408 (1 cup, cooked = 158 g) and 2709699 (1 medium = 150 g) · checked 2026-09-30
4. risw-r2-04 · randomized controlled trial
   final mean plasma β-carotene concentrations were higher in groups that received OFSP (P < 0.0001), and final mean plasma β-carotene was marginally higher in the group that received fried OFSP compared with boiled OFSP (P = 0.07). ... Initial and final total body VA pool sizes were 0.060 ± 0.047 mmol and 0.091 ± 0.070 mmol, respectively (P = 0.05, n = 110) and did not differ by group.
   J Nutr, 2012 · checked 2026-09-30
5. risw-r2-05 · randomized controlled trial
   The treatment group (n = 90) consumed 125 g boiled and mashed OFSP (1031 retinol activity equivalents/d as beta-carotene), and the control group (n = 90) consumed an equal amount of white-fleshed sweet potato devoid of beta-carotene for 53 school days. ... The estimated intervention effect for the ratio of 3,4-didehydroretinol to retinol (DR:R) was -0.008 (95% CI: -0.015, -0.001; P = 0.0203), which indicated a greater improvement in vitamin A liver stores in the treatment group than in the control group.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2005 · checked 2026-09-30
6. risw-r2-09 · systematic review
   Based on a glucose reference value of 100, the observed glycaemic index values for rice varieties ranged from 48 to 93, while the insulinaemic index ranged from 39 to 95. There are three main factors that appear to explain most of the variation in glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to rice: (1) inherent starch characteristics (amylose:amylopectin ratio and rice cultivar); (2) post-harvest processing (particularly parboiling); (3) consumer processing (cooking, storage and reheating).
   Br J Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-09-30
7. risw-r2-10 · meta-analysis of laboratory studies
   Our results showed a significant decrease in the content of arsenic, lead, and cadmium following the cooking rice (WMD= -0.04 mg/kg, 95% CI: -0.05, -0.03, P = 0.000)
   Int J Environ Health Res, 2024 · checked 2026-09-30
8. risw-r2-06 · randomized crossover trial
   We did not observe significant between-group differences for primary outcomes among all participants. However, a significant reduction in HbA1c was observed in the brown rice group among participants with the metabolic syndrome (-0·18 (se 0·08) %) relative to those without the metabolic syndrome (0·05 (se 0·05) %) (P-for-heterogeneity = 0·02).
   Br J Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-30
9. risw-r2-07 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   The pooled relative risk was 1.55 (95% confidence interval 1.20 to 2.01) comparing the highest with the lowest category of white rice intake in Asian populations, whereas the corresponding relative risk was 1.12 (0.94 to 1.33) in Western populations (P for interaction=0.038).
   BMJ, 2012 · checked 2026-09-30
10. risw-r2-08 · cross-sectional
    Higher intakes of starchy vegetables were associated with a higher prevalence of MetS in crude models, but no significant trends were observed after adjusting for confounders. A significant inverse association was observed between total starchy and healthy starchy vegetables consumption and fasting blood glucose.
    Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-09-30
11. risw-r2-11 · scoping review
    For As, the highest median was found in mixed fish (0.165 mg/kg) and rice mixes (0.048 mg/kg), with 89% and 30% of items exceeding the As ML, respectively.
    Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-30
12. risw-r2-12 · cross-sectional
    After adjusting for potentially confounding factors, and restricting the study to participants who did not consume seafood in the preceding 24 hr, total urinary arsenic concentration increased 14.2% (95% confidence interval: 11.3, 17.1%) with each 0.25 cup increase in cooked rice consumption.
    Environ Health Perspect, 2012 · checked 2026-09-30
13. risw-r2-14 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6781 Black rice (Oriza sativa indica), consumed as such, or the bran (pigment fraction) of black rice used as a food ingredient in foods, in particular yoghurts, baked products, food supplements and certain foods for a particular nutritional use. helps keep the heart and arteries healthy #C helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol #B helps protect the body tissue and cells from oxidative damage #A Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6781, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-30
14. risw-r2-13 · cross-sectional
    Percentage consuming rice or rice-containing foods was highest for infants aged 6-11.9 months (58.2%), including snacks (32.1%), infant cereal (27.9%), baby food purees (11.1%), and cooked rice (7.7%).
    J Acad Nutr Diet, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
15. risw-r2-15 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
    Stratified analysis by gender showed a significant positive association between rice consumption and risk of chronic diseases in women (1·40; 1·13, 1·73), but not in men (0·95; 0·72, 1·24). ... Further studies of these relationships, in different populations, are needed.
    Public Health Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-30