The Latest Science on Organic

A growing body of research is showing that organic foods are safer and more nutritious than their non-organic counterparts.

President’s Cancer Panel findings

The expert, bi-partisan panel, created in 1971, monitors the National Cancer Program. Among the panel’s findings and recommendations:

• Children are “far more susceptible to damage from environmental carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting compounds than adults.”
• Individuals and families can reduce their exposure to pesticides by choosing food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers when possible, such as those bearing the USDA organic label.

The protective effects of an organic diet

• A study of 23 children ages 3-11 found that organic diets can significantly lower children’s dietary exposure to organophosphorus pesticides (OP). OP are common agricultural pesticides known to cause neurologic effects in animals and humans.
• Researchers found that the organic diet provided “a dramatic and immediate protective effect” against OP pesticide exposure.

The link between pesticide exposure and ADHD

• A study published in Pediatrics examined the connection between urinary metabolites of OP pesticides and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among 1,139 children ages 8-15.
• Study results: children with higher urinary levels of OP metabolites were “more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD.”

The beneficial effects of organics on breast milk

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that the breast milk of mothers who ate a diet in which meat and dairy were predominantly organic had increased fatty acids that are beneficial for babies.

Organic farming yields better produce quality

Another recent study showed organic farms produced strawberries with longer shelf life and higher antioxidant activity than those grown using conventional methods. Sensory panels judged organic strawberries to be sweeter and have better flavor than their conventional counterparts.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that yogurt may be introduced after six months.