The researchers at Stanford University found that people eating organic don’t get healthier but might be less exposed to pesticides.
The study, presented at Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at 240 studies on people who ate organic compared to those who didn’t and that compared different food’s level of nutrients.
The researchers found no significant different between people on an organic diet and others.
This might come as a relief for those spending a lot of extra money on organic proucts, but Dr Dena Bravata, at Stamford’s Center for Health Policy, highlighted that people chose organic food for other reasons than their own health.
She told the Telegraph: “If you look beyond health effects, there are plenty of other reasons to buy organic instead of conventional,” mentioning the environment and animal welfare as good motives for buying organic.
Prof Alan Dangour, a London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told BBC: “Consumers select organic foods for a variety of reasons, however this latest review identifies that at present there are no convincing differences between organic and conventional foods in nutrient content or health benefits.
“Hopefully this evidence will be useful to consumers.”
The Soil Association, a charity campaigning for healthy food, criticised the review that they say omitted many studies not written in English.
A spokesperson told the Telegraph about a UK review that “found that most of the differences in nutrient levels between organic and non-organic fruit and vegetables seen in this US study are actually highly significant.
“The study does mention one Dutch Government funded long-term research project, which found that children who consumed dairy products of which more than 90 per cent were organically produced had 36 per cent lower risk for eczema a age two years.”
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