No, Organic Food Is Not Better, But Yes, It Does Cost More

September 4, 2012 7:56 am 4 comments

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Art Jahnke

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Sometimes you don’t get what you pay for, such as when you pay more for organic food with the expectation that it will be better for your health. Researchers at Stanford University recently reviewed all of the authoritative studies on the benefits of organic food conducted since 1966 (they came up with 17 studies involving people and 223 studies of contaminants and nutrients in food), and they found no clear benefits of eating organic food. Note well, none of the studies involving people followed the people for more than two years, so any long-term health benefits would not be apparent. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, did find less pesticide contamination in organic food, but the researchers don’t know if the amounts found are dangerous. National Public Radio reports that one revelation that complicates the results is that, from a nutritional perspective, all vegetables are not created equal. Some are packed with nutrients, and some are not, and it often makes no difference if they were grown organically. Read more from NPR. Read the study here.

4 Comments

Thunder God

September 4, 2012
2:06 pm

I don’t buy organic food for the nutrients, I buy because of less contaminations from pesticides.

Reply
gary

September 5, 2012
3:17 pm

personally i like the non-organic veggies with illegal alien farmworker urine dripping off of them.

Reply
bk

September 6, 2012
9:09 am

This study was flawed apparently (research it)and the methods used were biased (wonder how much Stanford got for this misinformation stunt?)The media also failed (including this biased article), to mention? that this study did find non organic food having approx.33% more pesticides which by the way are cumulative in the body. Other studies by more accurate authorities have proven that organic foods do contain more vitamins and minerals. Which only makes common sense, traditional farming methods fact: deplete the soil of nutrients thus anything grown in it will also be depleted unlike organic farming that does just the opposite! Don’t fall for this obvious misinformation campaign BS!

Reply
stan boczon

September 9, 2012
11:57 am

I WAS RAISED ON A FARM, MEVER HAD MEDICAL PROBLEMS .BUYING STORE VEGIES HURTS THE POCKET.

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