Organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date.
Note that the "expert" who provides quotes downplaying the importance of the research is Tom Sanders, professor of nutrition at King's College London. Sanders has been described in the press as a former consultant to Nutrasweet.
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Tom_Sanders
Sanders has made a name for himself defending the artificial sweetener aspartame in the press and attacking the research studies of Dr Arpad Pusztai and Prof GE Seralini, which both found toxic effects from feeding GM foods to rats.
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Tom_Sanders
EXCERPT (item 1): "The crucially important thing about this research is that it shatters the myth that how we farm does not affect the quality of the food we eat," said Helen Browning, chief executive of Soil Association, which campaigns for organic farming.
1. Clear differences between organic and non-organic food, study finds
2. New study finds significant differences between organic and non-organic food
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1. Clear differences between organic and non-organic food, study finds
Damian Carrington and George Arnett
The Guardian, 11 July 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/11/organic-food-more-antioxidants-study
* Research is first to find wide-ranging differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables, and cereals
Organic food has more of the antioxidant compounds linked to better health than regular food, and lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides, according to the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date.
The international team behind the work suggests that switching to organic fruit and vegetables could give the same benefits as adding one or two portions of the recommended "five a day".
The team, led by Prof Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University, concludes that there are "statistically significant, meaningful" differences, with a range of antioxidants being "substantially higher" – between 19% and 69% – in organic food. It is the first study to demonstrate clear and wide-ranging differences between organic and conventional fruits, vegetables, and cereals.
The researchers say the increased levels of antioxidants are equivalent to "one to two of the five portions of fruits and vegetables recommended to be consumed daily and would therefore be significant and meaningful in terms of human nutrition, if information linking these [compounds] to the health benefits associated with increased fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption is confirmed".
The findings will bring to the boil a long-simmering row over whether those differences mean organic food is better for people, with one expert calling the work sexed up.
Tom Sanders, a professor of nutrition at King's College London, said the research did show some differences. "But the question is are they within natural variation? And are they nutritionally relevant? I am not convinced."
He said Leifert's work had caused controversy in the past. "Leifert has had a lot of aggro with a lot of people. He is oversexing [this report] a bit." Sanders added the research showed organic cereals have less protein than conventional crops.
The research was peer-reviewed and is published in a respected scientific journal, the British Journal of Nutrition. It was due to be released next week, but has appeared on several academic websites.
The results are based on an analysis of 343 peer-reviewed studies from around the world – more than ever before – which examine differences between organic and conventional fruit, vegetables, and cereals.
"The crucially important thing about this research is that it shatters the myth that how we farm does not affect the quality of the food we eat," said Helen Browning, chief executive of Soil Association, which campaigns for organic farming.
UK sales of organic food, which is often considerably more expensive than non-organic, are recovering after a slump during the economic crisis.
Plants produce many of their antioxidant compounds to fight back against pest attacks, so the higher levels in organic crops may result from their lack of protection by chemical sprays. But the scientists say other reasons may be important, such as organic varieties being bred for toughness and not being overfed with artificial fertilisers.
Leifert and his colleagues conclude that many antioxidants "have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers". But they also note that no long-term studies showing health benefits from a broad organic diet have yet been conducted.
The researchers found much higher levels of cadmium, a toxic metal, in conventional crops. Pesticide residues were found on conventional crops four times more often than on organic food. The research was funded by the EU and an organic farming charity.
The research is certain to be criticized; the inclusion of so many studies in the analysis could mean poor quality work skews the results, although the team did "sensitivity analyses" and found that excluding weaker work did not significantly change the outcome.
Also, the higher levels of cadmium and pesticides in conventional produce were still well below regulatory limits. But the researchers say cadmium accumulates over time in the body and that some people may wish to avoid this, and that pesticide limits are set individually, not for the cocktail of chemicals used on crops.
A further criticism is that the differences seen may result from different climate, soil types, and crop varieties, and not from organic farming, though the researchers argue that combining many studies should average out these other differences.
The greatest criticism, however, will be over the suggestions of potential health benefits. The most recent major analysis, which took in 223 studies in 2012, found little evidence. "The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods," it found.
This was also the conclusion of earlier, smaller studies published in 2009 in a scientific journal and by the UK Food Standards Agency (pdf), though the latter considered just 11 studies. The 2012 study did note that eating organic food might help people avoid pesticide residues.
Sanders said he was not persuaded by the new work. "You are not going to be better nourished if you eat organic food," he said. "What is most important is what you eat, not whether it's organic or conventional. It's whether you eat fruit and vegetables at all. People are buying into a lifestyle system. They get an assurance it is not being grown with chemicals and is not grown by big business."
He added that organic farming did help to address the significant problem in the UK of soil degradation and excess fertiliser polluting rivers.
Soil Association polling (pdf) shows healthy eating (55%) and avoiding chemical residues (53%) are key reasons cited by shoppers for buying organic produce.
But many also say care for the environment (44%) and animal welfare (31%) are important, as is taste (35%).
Browning said: "This research backs up what people think about organic food. In other countries there has long been much higher levels of support and acceptance of the benefits of organic food and farming. We hope these findings will bring the UK in line with the rest of Europe."
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2. New study finds significant differences between organic and non-organic food
Newcastle University, 11 July 2014
http://research.ncl.ac.uk/nefg/QOF/page.php?page=1
In the largest study of its kind, an international team of experts led by Newcastle University, UK, has proved that organic crops and crop-based foods are up to 60% higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally-grown crops.
Analysing 343 studies into the compositional differences between organic and conventional crops, the team found that a switch to eating organic fruit, vegetable and cereals – and food made from them – would provide additional antioxidants equivalent to eating between 1-2 extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
The study, published today in the prestigious British Journal of Nutrition, also shows significantly lower levels of toxic heavy metals in organic crops. Cadmium, which is one of only three metal contaminants along with lead and mercury for which the European Commission has set maximum permitted contamination levels in food, was found to be almost 50% lower in organic crops than conventionally-grown ones.
Newcastle University’s Professor Carlo Leifert, who led the study, says: “This study demonstrates that choosing food produced according to organic standards can lead to increased intake of nutritionally desirable antioxidants and reduced exposure to toxic heavy metals”.
“This constitutes an important addition to the information currently available to consumers which until now has been confusing and in many cases is conflicting.”
New methods used to analyse the data
This is the most extensive analysis of the nutrient content in organic vs conventionally-produced foods ever undertaken and is the result of a groundbreaking new systematic literature review and meta-analysis by the international team.
The findings contradict those of a 2009 UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned study which found there were no substantial differences or significant nutritional benefits from organic food.
The FSA commissioned study based its conclusions on only 46 publications covering crops, meat and dairy, while Newcastle led meta-analysis is based on data from 343 peer-reviewed publications on composition difference between organic and conventional crops now available.
“The main difference between the two studies is time,” explains Professor Leifert, who is Professor of Ecological Agriculture at Newcastle University.
“Research in this area has been slow to take off the ground and we have far more data available to us now than five years ago”.
Dr Gavin Stewart, a Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis and the meta-analysis expert in the Newcastle team, added: "The much larger evidence base available in this synthesis allowed us to use more appropriate statistical methods to draw more definitive conclusions regarding the differences between organic and conventional crops"
What the findings mean
The study, started under the European Sixth Framework Programme project QualityLowInputFood and completed with funding from the Sheepdrove Trust, found that concentrations of antioxidants such as polyphenolics were between 18-69% higher in organically-grown crops.
Numerous studies have linked antioxidants to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers.
Substantially lower concentrations of the toxic heavy metal cadmium were also detected in organic crops (on average 48% lower).
Nitrogen concentrations were found to be significantly lower in organic crops. Concentrations of total nitrogen were 10%, nitrate 30% and nitrite 87% lower in organic compared to conventional crops. The study also found that pesticide residues were four times more likely to be found in conventional crops than organic ones.
Professor Leifert added: “The organic vs non-organic debate has rumbled on for decades now but the evidence from this study is overwhelming – that organic food is high in antioxidants and lower in toxic metals and pesticides.
“But this study should just be a starting point. We have shown without doubt there are composition differences between organic and conventional crops, now there is an urgent need to carry out well-controlled human dietary intervention and cohort studies specifically designed to identify and quantify the health impacts of switching to organic food.”
The authors of this study welcome the continued public and scientific debate on this important subject. The entire database generated and used for this analysis is freely available on the Newcastle University website (http://research.ncl.ac.uk/nefg/QOF) for the benefit of other experts and interested members of the public.
The study:
“Higher antioxidant concentrations and less cadmium and pesticide residues in organically-grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses.” Baranski, M. et al. British Journal of Nutrition, July 15th 2014.
Pre-press version available from here:
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/263432810_Higher_antioxidant_and_lower_cadmium_concentrations_and_lower_incidence_of_pesticide_residues_in_organically_grown_crops_a_systematic_literature_review_and_meta-analyses
Media Contacts:
Professor Carlo Leifert, Professor of Ecological Agriculture, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University. Tel: 01661-830222/830444 e-mail: Teresa Jordon This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Louella Houldcroft, Senior Communications Manager, Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering, Newcastle University; Tel: +44 (0) 191 208 5108; Mob: 07989 850511; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.