Sludge Watch ==> Organic food really IS better for you, study finds

[Maureen Reilly]

Organic food really IS better for you, claims study
29.10.07

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23418522-details/Organic+food+really+IS+better+for+you,+claims+study/article.do

Organic food is healthier than conventional produce and may be better at 
preventing cancer and heart disease, according to the biggest study of its 
kind.

In a finding that challenges official advice, researchers have shown that 
fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 per cent more nutrients if they are 
grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

The £12 million project also found that organic milk contains 80 per cent 
more antioxidants -substances which reduce the risk of tumours and life 
threatening problems.

Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients 
lacking in many people's diets.

The findings could help settle the long running debate over the health 
benefits of organic food.

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency - which has come under fire for 
insisting that organic produce is no more healthier than conventional food - 
said it would review the latest study.

The findings come from Prof Carlo Leifert, an expert in organic food whose 
four year Newcastle University study is funded by the European Union and 
food companies.

He said the health benefits were so striking that moving to organic food was 
the equivalent of eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables every day.

"If you have just 20 per cent more antioxidants in every portion of 
vegetables, then it's simply a question of maths - eating four portion of 
organic fruit and vegetables is the equivalent to eating five portions of 
traditional fruit and vegetables," he said.

"Having said that, eating five portions of organic is even better still."

His team grew fruit and vegetables and reared cows on organic and 
non-organic sites on a 725 acre farm near at Newcastle University.

They found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were 
between 50 and 80 per cent higher than conventional milk.

Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 
20 and 40 per cent more nutrients.

Although the study has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, Prof 
Leifert is convinced the findings are sound.

He also believes there is enough evidence for the Food Standards Agency to 
change its advice on organic food and admits to being puzzled why the agency 
has not already done so.

"I wonder whether it's more to do with politics," he said.

The research suggests that organic fruit and vegetable is healthier because 
it uses more natural fertiliser such as clover and manure.

"Plants have evolved to get nutrients from organic matter, " he said.

"They need only a small amount early on in the year, and most in the summer. 
Yet with chemical fertiliser, they get most soon after planting and very 
little when they need it most."

The study - which runs for another year - found that milk was more 
nutritious in the summer, when cattle are grazing fresh grass.

"If you feed a cow on grass you get better milk," he said.

"I suspect that because British cattle have so much grass in their diet that 
nutrient levels may be higher in conventional UK milk than in some imported 
organic milk."

The Soil Association, which has been embroiled in a decade long dispute with 
the FSA over the health benefits of organic food, has welcomed the latest 
research.

There are few signs that the boom in organic food is ending. Sales are 
growing by 25 per cent each year and shoppers now spend around £2 billion a 
year on organic produce.

The reasons why organic food is popular vary. Some shoppers buy it for the 
taste, others to reduce exposure to chemicals.

Organic meat is popular among shoppers concerned about animal welfare.

The Food Standards Agency has ordered a review into its advice on organic 
food and health benefits. The results are expected in March.

"Until then the advice remains that there is no evidence that organic food 
has higher levels of nutrients than conventional food," a spokesman said.

The new study shows that organic milk has 60 to 80 per cent more nutrients 
in the summer than conventional milk, and 50 to 60 per cent more in the 
winter.

Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E.

Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional 
varieties.

Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 
per cent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables.

Organic spinach and cabbage have been found to have more minerals.