May 30, 2004
Organic veggies are better
Probably. (What the hell, while i am raiding the underreported.com food section anyway.)ACS journal: Organic foods higher in cancer-fighting compounds
Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 01:01 AM GMTAccording to a Mar. 3, 2003 American Chemical Society press release posted to EurekAlert! a news site by the American Association for the Advancement of Science:
Fruits and veggies grown organically show significantly higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown foods, according to a new study of corn, strawberries and marionberries. The research suggests that pesticides and herbicides actually thwart the production of phenolics — chemicals that act as a plant's natural defense and also happen to be good for our health. Fertilizers, however, seem to boost the levels of anti-cancer compounds. |  |
The findings appear in the Feb. 26 print edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.Flavonoids are phenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant activity. Many are produced in plants in response to environmental stressors, such as insects or competing plants.
"If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to defend itself," says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the University of California, Davis, and lead author of the paper. "Bitter or harsh phenolics guard the plant against these pests."
The need for these natural safeguards decreases with the use of herbicides and pesticides in conventional agriculture. This decrease is reflected in the total amount of antioxidants the plants produce. "This helps explain why the level of antioxidants is so much higher in organically grown food," Mitchell says. "By synthetically protecting the produce from these pests, we decrease their need to produce antioxidants. It suggests that maybe we are doing something to our food inadvertently."
Posted by sciencegrrl at May 30, 2004 12:42 PM
Well, now I feel better about spending more on organic stuff when I can. :)
Posted by: jenblossom at June 1, 2004 04:13 PMSeriously!
Today i found this link because i was looking for an old friend:
Pesticide Action Network of North America
There is a horrific article there about how many chemicals you find in everyone, and how much. Eek!
Posted by: sciencegrrl at June 1, 2004 04:41 PMImportant to remember that organic does NOT equal pesticide-free, however, and 'natural' pesticides are not necessarily harmless. There are certain pesticides (and fertilisers) which organic farmers are allowed to use. If it's something that really bothers you, ask the retailer what was used on the crop. If they don't know or won't tell you, buy somewhere else!
Posted by: Stu N at June 4, 2004 09:22 AMIt is all further confused by the fact that the EU has different standards than the US.
You have given very good advice. Whole Foods is pretty good about providing info, and the produce managers there are usually very well-informed on each product, but the prices are proibitive. It is certainly nowhere near as easy as it was in California, but i was a member of a CSA coop there. (Called Full Belly Farm It was great! $14 per week for more food than two people could finish. All i had to buy was milk, rice, eggs, and tofu.)
Holy crap, according the the Full Belly site, they just weakend the standards. *SIGH five more months*
What you say about "natural" substances is quite true, but " the use of genetic engineering (included in excluded methods), irradiation, non-allowed synthetics, and sewage sludge is prohibited." is a pretty good start. Hell, even just the loss of Methyl Bromide is a good start. And strichnine!
The list of allowed substances does not bother me that much. There are definitely things i would prefer not to consume, but for the most part they are very water-soluble and will wash away relatively easier. Requirements such as crop rotation and other sound farming practices are important for maintaining nutrient value.
As far as genetically modified foods, i am not so worried about the consequences of eating them as i am the consequences for biodiversity, and lord knows what unintended effects it will have on other species.
Livestock management leaves the most to be desired. The agribusiness and cattle industries are of course HUGE lobbies. At least once a week there is a news story that makes me so glad i am a vegetarian. i just celebrated 13 years!
Do you eat organic as much as possible? Are you vegetarian?
Posted by: sciencegrrl at June 4, 2004 10:47 AM