A doctor has issued an urgent warning to people to eat rice, pasta, potatoes and noodles. The expert stresses that there is a common issue we all have done at some point, and he’s urging people to stop.
Talking about the “one thing I don’t do as a doctor” he says he will never leave “cooked rice sitting out for more than 2 hours.” If you get a takeaway, you may have made this mistake before – so if you do, stop now.
Dr Bing took to TikTok to explain: “That might sound minor but it’s tied to an illness called ‘fried rice syndrome’ caused by the bacterium bacillus cereus. While often associated with rice, it can happen to any starchy foods like pasta, potatoes or noodles if they are not stored properly.
Explaining how it happens, he says “the bacterium bacillus cereus produces heat resistant spores that survive cooking. And if rice or similar foods are left at room temperature for too long, these spores multiply and release toxins.
“Unlike other common foodbourne bacteria like salmonella or E.coli, cooking or re-heating your food won’t protect you because the toxins are heat resistant and the spores can also survive cooking or digestion and can afterward begin growing on your food or in your intestines.
“This illness is actually quite common – and a lot of us have probs left out food for too long at some point in our lives.”
Warning about symptoms, he says that “most of the time eating contaminated food can cause food poisoning symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.” However he said it can be fatal.
He warns: “Rarely it can lead to severe dehydration and metabolic rearrangements which can cause neurological symptoms like confusion or seizures.
“Or worse it can lead to organ failures and even death which has unfortunately happened before.” So what can you do to prevent this? He notes that “the solution is simple”.
He says all you need to do starting now, is “refrigerate your cooked food properly and don’t let it sit our for more than two ours. But when it doubt, throw it out.”