Organic food is not more useful and safe to human health than conventional.
To such conclusion experts from Stanford University (USA), analyzing 240 publications on the food, which appeared in the scientific literature since 1966.
The work of the group under the leadership of Dana Bravata (Dena Bravata), which is the most extensive study in this field, published September 4 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
In order to confirm or refute the thesis about the significant advantage of one type of food over another, the authors conducted a systemic analysis of the results of 240 investigations, 223 of which were devoted to the comparison grown organic or conventional method fruits, vegetables, grain, meat, milk and eggs according to the level of trace elements, bacterial and fungal contamination and pesticides. The remaining 17 articles were related to the health indicators in the light of the foodstuffs consumed. The entire array of the analysed data was published in the scientific literature from January 1966.
The only significant advantage of organic over conventional products in terms of the availability of vitamins and minerals were comparatively higher content of phosphorus, which, as the authors note, can be useful for people suffering from deficiency of this trace element.
With regard to vitamins and also other nutrients, there is, contrary to the traditional view, is clinically relevant to human health differences were found. In particular, the authors note, the protein and fat composition of organic and conventional milk was approximately the same, although in several publications and contain assumptions that organic milk may contain higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids.
The authors also found convincing evidence that conventional foods more harmful to human health than organic. Although the latter with 30% probability less contaminated with pesticides than conventional, however, was not wholly pure from pesticides, in addition, this difference is almost erased when exceeding the shelf life of products. As for bacterial contamination, and the numbers are roughly equal. The authors, however, suggest that consumption of organic pork and chicken may reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance, but at the same time note that the clinical confirmation of this assumption does not exist.
Commenting on the findings, the authors note that they could influence the heterogeneity of the research methods used in the studies on the basis of which was an analysis, as well as various other factors influencing the quality and safety of products, such as weather, soil, methods of agriculture and so on.
It should be noted that the conclusions made by experts from Stanford University, in General, coincide with the results of a study conducted by researchers from the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine in 2009.
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