WASHINGTON Patient after patient asked: Is eating organic food, which costs more, really better for me? Unsure, Stanford University doctors dug through reams of research to find out and concluded there's little evidence that going organic is much healthier. Eating organic fruits and vegetables can lower exposure to pesticides, including for children but the amount measured from conventionally grown produce was within safety limits, the researchers reported. Nor did the organic foods prove more nutritious.
"I was absolutely surprised," said Dr. Dena Bravata, a senior research affiliate at Stanford and long-time internist who began the analysis because so many of her patients asked if they should switch. "There are many reasons why someone might choose organic foods over conventional foods, from environmental concerns to taste preferences", Bravata stressed. But when it comes to individual health, "there isn't much difference." The Stanford team combed through thousands of studies to analyze the 237 that most rigorously compared organic and conventional foods. Bravata was dismayed that just 17 compared how people fared eating either diet while the rest investigated properties of the foods themselves.
Organic produce had a 30 percent lower risk of containing detectable pesticide levels. In two studies of children, urine testing showed lower pesticide levels in those on organic diets. But Bravata cautioned that both groups harbored very small amounts and said one study suggested insecticide use in their homes may be more to blame than their food.
