Organic food is no better than regular food

There is no evidence to suggest that organically produced foods have a higher nutritional value than conventional foods, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical. Nutrition July 29.

Consumers seem very willing to pay a higher price for organic food due to the health and nutrition benefits, and the global organic food market in 2007 worth about £ 29 billion ($ 2 billion. table only in the UK market). Some previous reviews have concluded that organic food has a better nutritional composition than regular food, but so far there has been no systematic synthesis of published materials.
Researchers from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted the most extensive synthesis of published literature on the nutritional composition of organic foods. This review focuses on nutrient composition and does not include materials on the composition of contaminants or chemical surpluses in food due to different agricultural production methods.

More than 50,000 articles were searched, and a total of 162 relevant articles published in the 50-year period until February 29, 2008 were identified and compared the nutritional composition of organic and real foods. Normal processed products. To ensure the accuracy and quality of each article evaluated. In order to be classified as of appropriate quality, the studies must provide information on organic food certificates, crop cultivation and analyzed animal breeding, nutrition or associated nutrients. The evaluation was assessed, the laboratory analysis method used, and the method of statistical analysis was applied. 55 of the articles are classified as satisfactory quality, and the researchers perform the analysis and compare the composition of the 13 most widely reported nutrients in organic and conventional foods.

There is no evidence to suggest that food produced by organic methods has a higher nutritional value than conventional foods, according to a new study. (Photo: iStockphoto / Jack Puccio)

Researchers found that the amount of nutrients in organic and conventional foods is similar. 10 out of 13 nutrient categories were analyzed, there were no significant differences between the two methods of food processing. Differences, if any, are often due to different fertilizer use, and ripening when harvested.There is no reason to believe that consumption of organic food at a reported level will have additional health benefits.

Alan Dangour, of the Public Health Protection Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and one of the report's authors, commented: 'There is only another amount. Small differences in nutrient composition are found between organic and conventional foods, and there is no involvement in public health. Our report shows that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organic food instead of regular food. Research in this area will benefit from higher scientific accuracy and a better understanding of the different elements that constitute the nutritional composition of food. '

The study was funded by the British Food Standards Agency. Funding agencies have no role in designing, collecting data, analyzing, evaluating or writing reports for research. The research team organized 6 meetings with sponsors.

Refer:
1. Alan D Dangour, Sakhi K Dodhia, Arabella Hayter, Elizabeth Allen, Karen Lock, Ricardo Uauy.Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review.The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 29, 2009 DOI: 10.3945 / ajcn.2009.28041