Organic Agriculture Yields Several Health Benefits

THIRD WORLD NETWORK INFORMATION SERVICE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Dear Friends and Colleagues

Organic Agriculture Yields Several Health Benefits

Researchers in Sweden have reviewed available evidence to examine the benefits of organic food on human health (Item 1). They looked at evidence from population studies and clinical trials comparing people with different dietary habits. They also compared the impact of organic versus conventional farming methods on human pesticide exposure, the nutritional composition of crops and animals, and use of antibiotics in animal production.

The key findings include (Item 2):

• Those who consume mostly organic food may have a lower risk of childhood allergies, weight gain, obesity, and some forms of cancer. Such people were noted to have healthier lifestyles overall which could contribute to such benefits as well.
• Organic farming generally relies on preventive and biological means for plant protection, so consumers of mostly organic food have a comparatively low dietary exposure to pesticides. The plant protection practices used in organic agriculture can provide lessons to reduce pesticide use in conventional agriculture.
• Organic dairy products and meat have about a 50% higher content of omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional products. Overall, however, the nutritional content of crops is largely unaffected by the method of production.
• Conventional livestock farming uses antibiotics widely, which can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which in turn could threaten human health. Conversely, antibiotic use is strongly restricted in organic animal farming. Thus, organic agriculture presents a way to reduce the risk of the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The researchers concluded that there are several human health benefits associated with organic food production, and that the wider use of organic methods in conventional agriculture would most likely benefit human health.

With best wishes,

Item 1

HUMAN HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF ORGANIC FOOD AND ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Mie A, Andersen HR, Gunnarsson S, et al.
Environmental Health (2017) 16:111.
DOI: 10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4
Oct 2017
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29073935

Abstract

This review summarises existing evidence on the impact of organic food on human health. It compares organic vs. conventional food production with respect to parameters important to human health and discusses the potential impact of organic management practices with an emphasis on EU conditions. Organic food consumption may reduce the risk of allergic disease and of overweight and obesity, but the evidence is not conclusive due to likely residual confounding, as consumers of organic food tend to have healthier lifestyles overall. However, animal experiments suggest that identically composed feed from organic or conventional production impacts in different ways on growth and development. In organic agriculture, the use of pesticides is restricted, while residues in conventional fruits and vegetables constitute the main source of human pesticide exposures. Epidemiological studies have reported adverse effects of certain pesticides on children’s cognitive development at current levels of exposure, but these data have so far not been applied in formal risk assessments of individual pesticides. Differences in the composition between organic and conventional crops are limited, such as a modestly higher content of phenolic compounds in organic fruit and vegetables, and likely also a lower content of cadmium in organic cereal crops. Organic dairy products, and perhaps also meats, have a higher content of omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional products. However, these differences are likely of marginal nutritional significance. Of greater concern is the prevalent use of antibiotics in conventional animal production as a key driver of antibiotic resistance in society; antibiotic use is less intensive in organic production. Overall, this review emphasises several documented and likely human health benefits associated with organic food production, and application of such production methods is likely to be beneficial within conventional agriculture, e.g., in integrated pest management.

Item 2

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOOD?

Julie McShane
Medical Hotspot
23 Dec 2017
http://medical-hotspot.com/clinical-trials-research/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-organic-food-medical-news-bulletin/

Researchers in Sweden reviewed the available evidence to examine the health benefits of organic food. Their study was published in Environmental Health.

Producing adequate quantities of sustainable healthy food is a high priority for many governments and international organizations. The choice of either conventional or organic farming methods can affect the sustainability of food production and both human and animal health. Researchers in Sweden performed a comprehensive review of the existing evidence on the health benefits of organic food. They recently published their findings in the journal Environmental Health.

What is Organic Food?

Food production methods are not always easy to classify, as practices used in organic and conventional farming often overlap. Conventional farming generally refers to intensive agriculture, typically with the high use of synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilizers on crops and close-housing and concentrate feed in animal production. Organic agriculture usually includes the use of organic fertilizers such as farmyard and green manure, ecological and non-chemical measures for pest control and livestock access to open air and roughage feed. In the European Union, the fraction of organically cultivated land has been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, reaching 6.2% in 2015.

What is the Evidence of Health Benefits of Organic Food?

The researchers looked at evidence from population studies and clinical trials comparing people with different dietary habits regarding eating mostly organic or mostly conventionally produced products. In addition, they looked at studies on the impact of organic versus conventional farming methods on human pesticide exposure, the nutritional composition of crops and animals, and use of antibiotics in animal production.

Effects on Human Illness:

The few human studies directly investigating the effects of organic food on health suggest that those who consume mostly organic food may have a lower risk of childhood allergies, weight gain, obesity, and some forms of cancer. However, it is not possible to conclude from these studies that organic food is the direct cause of these benefits, as people who chose to consume organic food were also noted to have healthier lifestyles overall.

Pesticide Exposure:

Plant protection in conventional agriculture largely uses synthetic pesticides. Pesticide residues on conventionally produced fruit and vegetables are the main source of human pesticide exposure. Chemical pesticides undergo a thorough risk assessment and acceptable residue levels are calculated. However, there are concerns that this risk assessment may be inadequate in some areas, particularly the effects of long-term and cumulative exposure. Studies in this area are problematic as it is difficult to assess pesticide exposure accurately and a long follow-up period is needed to look at effects on health. A few studies have looked at the brain development of young children in relation to their mother’s pesticide exposure levels during pregnancy. There has been some evidence of adverse effects on brain development at current levels of pesticide exposure, but this requires further investigation.

Organic farming generally relies on preventive and biological means for plant protection, such as crop rotation, intercropping (growing more than one crop together), using pest-resistant varieties of plants, introducing natural enemies of pests, hygiene practices and other measures. Some pesticides are approved for use in organic agriculture, but most of these are of low toxicity to consumers because they are human nutrients (e.g. spearmint oil, quartz sand), or are only approved for use in insect traps so are not in contact with the crops. Organic agriculture methods mean that there are lower pesticide residues in food. Consumers of mostly organic food have a comparatively low dietary exposure to pesticides. The plant protection practices used in organic agriculture may provide lessons which can be used in conventional agriculture.

Nutritional Composition of Organic vs Conventional Food:

Studies show that organic dairy products and meat have about a 50% higher content of omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional products. However, these products are only a minor source of omega-3 fatty acids in the average diet. The nutritional content of crops is largely unaffected by the method of production. There is a modestly higher content of phenolic compounds (which may have a role in disease prevention) in organic fruit and vegetables and possibly a lower content of cadmium (which can be toxic to kidneys) in organic cereal. However, these composition differences are modest and unlikely to be of any nutritional significance.

Use of Antibiotics in Organic vs Conventional Farming:

Because of the intensive nature of housing and rearing conditions in conventional farming, antibiotics are widely used to prevent infections in livestock. This is of great concern as it may allow the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which in turn could impact human health.

Antibiotic use is strongly restricted in organic animal farming. Organic methods aim to provide more space and healthier conditions for animals. Routine use of preventative antibiotics in organic animal production is not allowed. The prompt therapeutic use of antibiotics to treat infection is permitted, although organic farm animals are less likely to develop the diseases related to intensive production. As a result, fewer antibiotics are required in farming organic animals. This decreases the risk for development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The use of antibiotics in animal production must decrease in order to prevent the further development of antibiotic resistance. The methods used in organic farming could provide a way to achieve this goal.

Several Health Benefits of Organic Food 

From reviewing the available evidence, the researchers found that there are several health benefits of organic food. They concluded that wider use of organic methods in conventional agriculture would most likely benefit human health. In particular, in reducing the levels of pesticide exposure and reducing the risk of the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.