The habit of eating leftover rice is not always safe. A neurosurgeon from the United States issued a stern warning about the dangers of rice that is stored carelessly. Not only stomach pain, the impact can even damage the brain.

The doctor is Dr Baibing Chen, a neurosurgeon known on social media as Dr Bing. Through his TikTok account, which is followed by more than 220 thousand people, he explained what could happen if cooked rice is left too long at room temperature.

In a video, Dr Bing shows the results of a brain scan of a young patient who had to be rushed to hospital after eating rice that was not stored properly. The results were shocking, showing damage to the inside of the brain.

According to Dr. Bing, this condition is related to the fried rice syndrome, which is food poisoning due to toxins from the Bacillus cereus bacteria. This bacterium is often found in starchy foods such as rice and pasta.

The problem is that although bacteria can die when heated, the toxins that have been produced cannot be destroyed by reheating.

"Reheating the rice will not remove the poison if the poison has already formed," said Dr. Bing, quoted from the Daily Mail website on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

He also admitted that many people, including himself, grew up with the habit of eating leftover rice without ever experiencing problems.

"Most of the time nothing happens. This condition is very rare, but if it happens, the consequences can be very fatal," he said.

In adults, fatal cases due to this condition are very rare and usually only cause vomiting. However, in children and adolescents, the risk is much more serious.

"This poison attacks the 'energy generator' in the brain cells. When the brain suddenly can't produce energy, everything can stop very quickly," explained Dr. Bing.

He emphasized that although the case is rare, the impact can change a person's life in just one day. The message is to store rice safely and do not consume leftover food again.

The warning was also approved by emergency doctor Dr Joe Whittington. He once discussed the tragic case of a 20-year-old student who died after eating spaghetti that was allegedly left at room temperature for several days.

According to experts, rice and pasta rich in starch can become a container for Bacillus cereus bacteria to develop, if it is not immediately cooled and stored properly. What is often not realized, the spores of this bacterium can survive even if it has been boiled and will multiply at room temperature, then produce toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea.

The Ministry of Health reminds that bacteria easily develop on moist, protein-rich, or starchy foods. Types of foods that need special attention include cooked rice and pasta, raw meat and cooked meat, dairy products, eggs, processed meats such as ham and salami, seafood, ready-to-eat salads such as coleslaw and fruit salad, and ready-to-eat foods such as sandwiches and pizza.

Dr. Whittington emphasized that rice or pasta should not be eaten if it is left at room temperature for more than two hours. Although the death case is very rare, both doctors agree that this risk can actually be prevented 100 percent by proper food storage.

Dr. Chen's advice is actually simple. Cooked rice should be stored in the refrigerator immediately after cooking for a maximum of one to two hours. If the rice is left at room temperature for almost a day, it should not be consumed again and immediately thrown away for safety.

How to Store Food Safely

To reduce the risk of food poisoning, there are several things that must be done, including:

- Keep risky foods out of the "danger zone" temperature range, which is between 5°C to 60°C.

- Put cooked food in the fridge within two hours

- Throw away food that has been left for more than four hours

- Cool hot food faster by dividing it into small containers

- Separate raw and cooked food

- Make sure the refrigerator temperature is below 5°C and the freezer below -15°C

- Always close the food and avoid storing it in an open can