Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants, Healthy People... The Benefits of Eating Organic
This article was first published in the May/June 2006 issue of Awareness Magazine
In recent times organic food has become increasingly popular as people intuitively
believe it is better - the question is, what are the real benefits for health?
Evidence shows that our farming practices and our soil are indeed influencing the quality of our food and therefore our health. Here are six reasons why eating organic may offer health benefits.
1. Higher mineral levels
Minerals are essential for health in terms of providing us with energy, mental stability, immunity and fertility.
The intensification of agriculture over the last 50 years has depleted the soil of nutrients, especially trace minerals, because the crops removed from the soil contain a wider variety of nutrients than farmers typically add back in the form of chemical fertilisers (Heaton 2001). Added to this, conventional farming also reduces the amount of beneficial fungi in the soil which aids the exchange of minerals to the plant.
A comparison of the mineral content of 20 fruits and 20 vegetables grown in the 1930s and the 1980s (Mayer 1997) showed several marked reductions in mineral content. Calcium levels declined to 80% of their original value, magnesium to 65%, and iron to 78% with the biggest difference being copper which reduced to 19% of the original value.
According to the Soil Association a review of 41 studies from around the world, showed that organic crops generally have higher levels of magnesium, iron and phosphorous. Organic spinach, lettuce, cabbage and potatoes showed particularly high levels of minerals.
Having the best possible intake of minerals from our food is becoming even more vital as the stress of modern day living and the refining of foods deplete our levels even further.
2. Lower pesticide levels
Pesticide residues have been found in a third of all non-organic food. Some pesticides are known as being endocrine disrupters. This means that they can affect the hormone system and might be linked to birth defects, sexual abnormalities, reproductive failures and increased risk of breast and prostate cancer.
The developing foetus is particularly sensitive to this fine hormonal balance for guiding its development. In fact some scientists are even suggesting that hormonal disruption in the womb could have consequences as far reaching as learning disabilities and behavioural consequences in children.
Concerns about the effects on the hormonal system have led the Royal Society, a prestigious UK Scientific academy, to recommend that "human exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (especially during pregnancy) should be minimised on grounds of prudence".
Foresight, a charity that has had much success in treating infertility via nutritional means strongly advocate an organic diet. They say "avoiding all organophosphates and pesticides is necessary through the period of preconception, pregnancy and breast-feeding." Their recommendations are on the basis of pesticides being linked to reproductive problems. These recommendations relate to men as much as women, as an organic diet is linked to higher sperm counts. One study showed that sperm counts in men eating organic food (50% of diet) were actually double those eating a non-organic diet.
3. Higher levels of antioxidant vitamins
Organic food has been shown to contain higher levels of antioxidants. A high antioxidant intake is associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease and some cancers.
Such antioxidants include certain vitamins (vitamin C, E and beta-carotene) and substances known as flavenoids. There is a growing concern among researchers that levels of some flavenoids may be lower than is optimal for human health in conventionally grown foods.
Flavenoids are found in fruits and vegetables and are generated by a plant when attacked by pests. For example if an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces flavenoids to defend itself. Research at the University of California showed that berries and corn grown without the use of pesticides contained 50% more flavenoids.
Flavenoids are thought to neutralize dangerous free radicals which are linked to cancers and cardiovascular disease. Paul Clayton, Nutritional expert and Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine says "I believe the decline in flavenoid intake particularly in the last 50 years is linked to the current increase in inflammatory and degenerative disease."
Certain anti-oxidant nutrients are also higher in milk produced by organically reared cows, which eat high levels of fresh grass, clover pasture and grass clover silage. A study cited by the Soil Association showed that the antioxidants vitamin A and Beta-carotene were twice as high in organic milk. Lutein and Zeaxanthine which help to prevent cataracts and blocking of arteries were much higher in organic milk, particularly lutein which was as much as 6 times higher in the organic milk.
4. Higher levels of essential fats
Organically-reared animals have greater access to natural forage, and therefore their products, in particular eggs, milk and organ meats, are more likely to have lower saturated fat concentrations and higher levels of essential omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA are increasingly being recognised as essential for human health and mental well-being.
The omega 3 essential fatty acids are especially important for healthy skin, hormones, brain function and heart health and have recently received much attention for their importance in helping to prevent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children. CLA has been demonstrated to help prevent cancer and aid in weight loss by reducing body fat.
Organic full fat milk contains at least 64% more omega-3 essential fatty acids than non-organic full fat milk. Much of the UK population is deficient in these fatty acids.
5. No genetically modified organisms
Genetically modified organisms are banned from organic food. The long term effect of GM on our health is poorly understood. This is worrying given that huge amounts of GM soya and maize are being imported into the UK and fed to animals which produce much of the non-organic pork, bacon, milk, cheese and other meat and dairy products in our supermarkets. Unfortunately for the consumer, food from GM-fed animals isn't labelled, and therefore cannot be avoided - unless they buy organic produce.
6. Overall organic food has shown greater health outcomes
Feeding trials have shown significant improvements in the growth, reproductive health and recovery from illness of animals fed organically produced feed.
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Catherine is a Nutritional Therapist practicing in Aberdeen, Scotland.
She is a graduate of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and a member of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy.
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