David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Is organic food more nutritious?
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Aug. 19, 2009
If you buy organic food because it's more nutritious, you might be dismayed to learn that it offers no nutritional advantage over conventionally grown food. At least, that was the finding of a study that reviewed more than 150 scientific articles published over the past 50 years. The study concludes that organic food and conventional food have comparable nutritional benefits.
As you might imagine, not everyone agrees with this conclusion. After all, everyone knows that not all beans look or taste alike. All natural products vary in taste, texture, color, and nutritional content, depending on the soil, growing conditions, season, farming practices and other factors such as handling and storage. The study's authors acknowledge these influences, but explain that the few differences in nutrient content between organic food and conventional food are unlikely to have an effect on public health.
What do you think? Will the findings from this study lead you to you change your food buying practices? Until now, did you choose organic food for its perceived nutritional superiority? Or do you buy organic for other reasons, such as avoiding pesticides, herbicides and hormones, or because of concerns about the environment?
References
Dangour AD, et al. Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009 [Epub ahead of print].
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Aug. 19, 2009
If you buy organic food because it's more nutritious, you might be dismayed to learn that it offers no nutritional advantage over conventionally grown food. At least, that was the finding of a study that reviewed more than 150 scientific articles published over the past 50 years. The study concludes that organic food and conventional food have comparable nutritional benefits.
As you might imagine, not everyone agrees with this conclusion. After all, everyone knows that not all beans look or taste alike. All natural products vary in taste, texture, color, and nutritional content, depending on the soil, growing conditions, season, farming practices and other factors such as handling and storage. The study's authors acknowledge these influences, but explain that the few differences in nutrient content between organic food and conventional food are unlikely to have an effect on public health.
What do you think? Will the findings from this study lead you to you change your food buying practices? Until now, did you choose organic food for its perceived nutritional superiority? Or do you buy organic for other reasons, such as avoiding pesticides, herbicides and hormones, or because of concerns about the environment?
References
Dangour AD, et al. Nutritional quality of organic foods: a systematic review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009 [Epub ahead of print].