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Organic food options are often a pretty penny more than their conventionally produced counterparts. And they have often been touted as better for you as well as the environment.
But if you're looking for extra nutrients you might not be getting them, according to a new review paper in Annals of Internal Medicine. [Crystal Smith-Spangler et al., Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review]
Researchers analyzed results from 237 strong studies looking for health differences between the two types of food—and didn't find much.
Only 17 of the studies were in humans, and they did not include any long-term follow-ups of their subjects.
One study did find that children on an organic diet had smaller traces of pesticides in their bodies. And although pesticide amounts were below current acceptable U.S. levels, many health experts contest that pesticide exposure limits are still too high.
Organic methods might also cut down on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
So going organic might be more a personal choice about supporting that form of farming than about specific health benefits. And the most important health choice, it seems, is to stop dallying over produce labels and just eat it—at least five servings a day.
—Katherine Harmon
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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8 Comments
Add CommentThis is the biggest load of propaganda bulls--t I have ever seen. Sci Am, you are losing credibility fast as a source for TRUE scientific articles. Lemme guess, was this source of data in this study published by one of the research firms that was just recently bought by Monsanto? Get ready for a lot more of this... coming soon.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDefinitely so very interesting: here's a better response: http://livingmaxwell.com/stanfords-report-on-organic-food-should-serve-as-a-serious-wake-up-call and take closer look at this high ranking Stanford member: http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/george-poste-bio.aspx enuff said?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisbrian01 you really have to learn how to read academic journals if you want to talk about their credibility. You obviously don't have the slightest clue of the authors of this research. Personally it's meaningless to talk about where do these doctors work at but let's see.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are 6 doctors and all of them are currently working at Stanford.
1. Dr. Smith-Spangler: Division of General Medical Disciplines, Stanford University.
2. Dr. Brandeau: Department of Management Science and Engineering, Huang Engineering Center, Room 262, Stanford University.
3. Ms. Hunter, Mr. Bavinger, Ms. Pearson, Mr. Eschbach, Ms. Sundaram, and Drs. Liu and Bravata: Center for Health Policy, Stanford University.
4. Mr. Stave: Lane Medical Library, 300 Pasteur Drive, L-109, Stanford. etc.
5. Dr. Olkin: Department of Statistics, Sequoia Hall, 390 Serra Mall, Stanford University
You just need little more than the knowledge of community college kids to know how to read scientific journals. Questioning a research's credibility without even knowing how the research was performed, really puts yourself down.
@deaffob
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisyes all the doctors have high "credentials" but if you read the articles @infinityblues was kind enough to link, you will find that the methods that were used certainly lowers the credibility of their research. Having high degrees and status at a prestigious school does not automatically conclude that their researches are as reliable or are more closer to accurate than those of others. I also don't think that it was very mature to call names.
I have never read any articles by Katherine Harmon that really had much worth.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"And the most important health choice, it seems, is to stop dallying over produce labels and just eat it—at least five servings a day."
We all know that her last sentence is NOT true!
Monsanto, I know a lot about... is in our area.
What I see and what they say... doesn't fit well with the truth.
This is interesting, must be paid for by the non organic guys.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA) Most people I know eat organic due to pesticide residue.
B) Somehow the authors missed that point in their conclusions.
C) The press are idiots, what they heard was "blah, blah, blah, no difference, blah, blah.
D) what smart people who eat organic heard, yep there is a S**Tload of pesticides in non organic food. Good choice eating organic.
E) What the FDA's response to this is-we've always said a little poison is ok
F) what this should mean to everyone else, don't eat non organic apples unless you agree with E
I don't trust "acceptable U.S. levels [of pesticides]" any more than I trust the US food pyramid and RDA (recommended daily allowances) of nutrition. The FDA is corrupt, as is every other US government agency--bought out by lobbyists and infested with corporate lackeys. Do your own homework and don't trust so-called "studies" most likely paid for by the same companies that are trying to pimp their pesticide/herbicide-infested GMO slop as food. Wake up, people!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere's a reason the FDA is called the Food AND Drug Administration--the food and drug companies are working together to sell poison (food) to make people sick and then sell more poison (drugs) to try (keyword) to fix the problem (which really only prolongs life, at best, and doesn't fix anything but keep the status quo feedback loop revolving door system of sickness and disease in check). Food is medicine so if you eat crap you're going to feel like crap and eventually turn into crap. Organic, all-natural, raw, whole foods are best. Processed, refined, enriched crap is worst. See http://eep/typepad.com/ for more ingredients to avoid and prefer.
There's a significant difference between eating organic and processed food. When I eat organic food I start feeling good, I have energy, my skin looks different, I have mental clarity; when I eat processed food I start getting acne, fatigue,constipation...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI live it, not just read it.