Is Organic Food Really as Healthy?

They also point out that the higher omega-3 levels were not directly related to the fact that the products were organic.

Chris Seal, Professor of Food and Human Nutrition at Newcastle University says, “Omega-3s are linked to reductions in cardiovascular disease, improved neurological development and function, and better immune function”. Omega-3 fatty acids and “organic foods” are right on top of the “healthy” food list. Higher PUFA and n-3 PUFA, conjugated linoleic acid, a-tocopherol and iron, but lower iodine and selenium concentrations in organic milk: a systematic literature review and meta- and redundancy analyses.

A professor at Newcastle University in England, Carlo Leifert, along with a team of 24 researchers studied almost 200 and 67 studies on milk and meat respectively.

“However, considerably less is thought about effects on dietary quality, henceforth the requirement for this study”.

The study is admittedly among only a small number of studies that examine this comparison, and research recognizes that the results carry a high level of uncertainty – but it’s also the largest study of its kind. But getting enough in our diet is hard.

The nutritional differences also applied to organic dairy like butter, cream, cheese and yoghurt, according to the research. “But much less is known about the impacts on nutritional quality, hence the need for this study”.

Leifert said that a half-liter of organic full-fat milk would provide 16 percent of the recommended dietary intake of omega-3 acids compared to a non-organic milk of the same measure offering only 11 percent.

Organic meats came out on top in the category of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, with 47% higher levels than their nonorganic counterparts. He tells FoodIngredientsFirst how he believes the new study will impact consumer buying patterns but it all depends on why people buy organic food: “In the United Kingdom, where consumers buy, and pay more, for organic produce primarily because they feel it may be better for them or farm animals, the study may well increase demand for organic products”.

Organic animals are generally grass-fed. Ian Givens, professor of food chain nutrition at the University of Reading, argued that though the higher fatty acid content of organic milk was not disputed, a switch from conventional to organic milk would increase intake by only a tiny amount overall: an increase of 1.5% in the total diet.

– organic milk contains less iodine than non-organic milk.

Scientists not involved in the research suggested that the health gains identified were minimal. Conventional dairy products have more because it is added to cattle feed.

“We can now say for certain that organic farming makes organic food different”, according to Helen Browning, chief executive of the Soil Association.

This previous study – also published in the British Journal of Nutrition – showed that organic crops and crop-based foods are up to 60% higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally-grown crops and contained less of the toxic metal cadmium. So even if they drink high amounts of this “diet milk”, they still would not be able to obtain the level of fatty acids mentioned in the study.