I'm not sure I believe this. Organic food is no healthier, study finds:
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Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.
A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.
"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors.
"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."
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It appears the claim is organic apples are not any different, for the human body, than regular apples. I'm sure they are not saying the organic apples are the same as twinkes.
Here's the abstract. It looks like to read the study would cost money.
(Hat tip: Dr. Helen)
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Technorati tags: Organic, food
9 comments:
If the report is limited to simply talking about the nutritional content of the food, then this makes perfect sense. If they're trying to lump any other of the potential benefits of organics along with it, then I would start to doubt the findings as the overall health benefits of organics are greater than the sum of the nutritional content.
I can guarantee that my father, who has been in the apple industry for 75 years, would absolutely agree!
Yeah - the food is the same when you eliminate the pesticides and other additives.
Hmm... yes, the "nutrients" are going to be the same--whoa! look! it's still an apple!--but as books like "In Defense of Food" point out: the "scientific" idea of nutrients is highly flawed and lead to some huge problems for anyone who accepts the "American diet"... leading me to suspect that this study hasn't actually found that organic food isn't healthier... just that it is "scientifically" similar [smile].
Plus, there are many other reasons to buy organic: It's hip and trendy, hopefully better for the environment, free of other dangerous/less-than-stellar production practices, etc...
[shrug]
~Luke
Plants generate natural pesticides. The amount used in conventional farming is actually quite less than the plants make naturally.
(Google "Bruce Ames" -- excellent interview with Reason a few years back)
People are better off spending their money buying more fresh fruits and vegetables than trying to buy fewer organic ones. There really are poor people in this and other countries who do buy fewer organic things (than they would if they bought non-organic produce) because they think it's healthier. And it's a horrible shame.
What "health benefits of organics"? It's food, not medicine. It's not a religious icon, or magical foodstuff. It's an apple.
As others here point out, it is important to remember that the benefits of organic agriculture and production are much broader than personal health in general and nutritional content specifically. Organic supports a system of sustainable agriculture that:
•Promotes soil health and fertility
•Fosters species diversity
•Helps combat climate change
•Protects valuable water resources
•Protects farmers and farmers’ families from exposure to harmful chemicals
In light of these and the many other benefits organic has to offer, it is clear that there is much to distinguish organic from its conventional counterparts.
Of course, it doesn't report about what you're NOT getting in the organic foods- maybe the vitamins are similar, but I buy organic for what I'm NOT getting: hormones, pesticides, heavy metals...
enjoying your blog!
I do have to wonder when I read Dept of Ag statistics saying that industrial eggs (from chickens living in cages that never see the light of day) are the same nutritionally as free range (grass/bugs/fresh air) eggs, but when Mother Earth News tests both themselves they find a huge difference in nutritional stats.
I can tel the difference in my neighbor's raspberries and the lady down the road- he uses composted manure for fertilizer and his berries are 2X bigger and much much sweeter. That said, I rarely buy organic at the grocery store, but buy it from the farmers themselves if I can.
As a homeschool mom of 3 who hosts an organic cooperative at my house, I can say without a doubt that organic may not be nutritionally different, however; the taste on almost everything is drastically different. If organic food is too expensive, then I highly suggest finding a CSA or co-op. The food is still certified organic, but the cost is radically less.
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