Are organic foods healthier? Are they worth the extra money at the grocery store? In the wake of a media frenzy that led to a September 2012 Stanford University “study” claiming to answer these questions, many people were left wondering.
The Stanford newspaper made headlines in the media sphere. Many read something like, “Is organic food worth the added cost?” – which frustrated many proponents of organics.
It is important to note that the document was not a new study with fresh data on organic food. Rather, it was a “meta-study” in which no original research was conducted. The researchers collected data from several previous studies on organic food. The benefits of organic products were investigated by the research team, with an emphasis on health, and compiled in the article published in the September 4, 2012 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
While the findings pointed out that organic foods can reduce the risk of pesticide exposure by 30 percent, many media outlets focused on the part of the study that concludes that there is no such thing as significant health benefit by eating organic food. Several stories suggested that organics are not really better than conventional foods, and Stanford’s own website said that researchers “found no strong evidence that organic foods are more nutritious or carry fewer health risks than conventional alternatives. although consuming organic foods may reduce the risk of pesticide exposure. ”(This important point about pesticide exposure was often covered as an afterthought in the study reports.)
Shortly after the first round of media attention, a second round appeared, this time made up of passionate responses to the Stanford study and the undeserved attention the study received. For example, Why the Stanford University Organic Food Study Missed the Mark by Kimberly Lord Stewart argues that the study “marginalized the health status of organic foods and took an extremely limited view” and that the Stanford research “fails to mention two major studies. they don’t in fact show that organic foods are higher in vitamin C, antioxidants, polyphenols 60-80 percent of the time, and vitamin A and protein are higher in organic foods 50 percent of the time compared to conventional foods. “
Also, the lower amount of chemicals in food should automatically be considered a much healthier alternative to conventional products. According to the Cornucopia Institute, “Almost 1,400 pesticides have been registered (that is, approved) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for agricultural and non-agricultural use. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to cancers of the brain / central nervous system (CNS), breast, colon, lung, ovary, pancreas, kidney, testicle, and stomach, as well as Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancer. soft tissue sarcoma “.
The Cornucopia Institute also compiled a report on how Stanford and its ties to Big Ag may have played a role in these research findings. For more on this angle, check out Stanford University’s ‘Spin’ on a study of organic food allegedly tainted by biotech funding.
Although the media twist may lead you to believe otherwise, the authors of the Stanford University study claimed that their intention was not to discourage people from buying and eating organically. According to one of the study’s co-authors, Crystal Smith-Spangler, “This is information that people can use to make their own decisions based on their level of concern about pesticides, their budget and other considerations.”
Another angle in this conversation is simply about how we define “health.” Is health just about vitamin levels, or is it also about healthy communities, a healthy environment, healthy farmers, healthy animals, chemical-free living, and more? Keeping your business local and buying directly from sustainable farmers is a sure way to know where your food comes from and under what conditions. Properly cared for animals and vegetables grown in clean soil will produce higher-quality, better-tasting food, as noted in Mark A. Kastel’s editorial, Thinking Outside the Processed Foods Box – Health and Safety Advantages of Organic Food.
Finally, the last point in this ongoing debate comes from well-known food advocate Michael Pollan: “I would just encourage people to educate themselves and not take the headlines at face value.” For your response to the Stanford Food Study, see Michael Pollan Responds to Study Finding ‘No Significant Health Benefit’ of Organic Food.
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