Advocacy » Health news » Is organic food more nutritious?
July 31, 2009
A recent review of 55 studies examined the differences in nutrient content between organic fruits and vegetables and those that are grown using industrial fertilizers and pesticides. The authors concluded that there was no difference between the two because they contained the same levels of a few vitamins and minerals.
This is important information. The problem with the study is that we now know that the nutrients we typically measure are the least important factors in determining the health benefits of a plant food. Plants make thousands of different complex molecules that are responsible for most of the healing properties of food. They are called phytonutrients, and many of them are made in response to stress or infection. Fertilizers eliminate most plant stress, and pesticides prevent any infection. This means the plants don't have to protect themselves. So they don't make phytonutrients. So they are not very useful to eat.
One example is resveratrol in grapes. This anti-fungal substance is believed to be the reason why people who drink red wine live longer. Non-organic grapes contain virtually no resveratrol. That is too bad, because it is the prototype of the sirtuins that prevent age-related DNA damage and may prolong human life. All grapes contain the same vitamins, but not the same phytonutrients. So eat organic.