China.org.cn, 13 July — According to a report on the UK Guardian website on 11 July, the most comprehensive scientific analysis to date has concluded that, compared to conventional food, organic food is richer in health-beneficial antioxidants and contains lower levels of toxic metals and pesticides. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
The international team that reached the conclusion suggested that the benefits of switching to organic fruit and vegetables are equivalent to eating an additional one to two portions of fruit and veg; experts generally recommend eating five portions a day. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Professor Carlo Leifert from Newcastle University is leading this project. He concluded that the differences between organic and non-organic food lie in both data and significance. Organic food has a high content of antioxidants, ranging between 19% and 69%. This is the first comprehensive study to reveal the differences between organic and conventional fruit and vegetables. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
The final results of the study reignited the long-running debate over whether organic food is healthier than conventional food. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Tom Sanders, a professor of nutrition at King's College London, stated that the experiments did reveal differences, “but are these natural? Are they nutritionally relevant? I'm not sure.” 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Ford and his colleagues concluded that many antioxidants “had previously been shown to lower the incidence of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and certain cancers.” However, they also stated that organic diets have not demonstrated long-term health benefits. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
The research also discovered higher levels of cadmium, a toxic metal, in traditional crops, which contained four times the pesticide residue of organic food. Funding for this study was provided by the European Union and an organic farming charity. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
This study has also faced some criticism: for instance, including too many data analyses in a single study inevitably lowers the research quality. However, the research team conducted a “sensitivity analysis” and found that the experimental results did not vary significantly. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
At the same time, cadmium and pesticides in the traditional diet could both affect the experimental data. For example, cadmium circulates within the human body, and pesticides might be present in a cocktail because it could be brewed from grain containing pesticide residues. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Further doubts suggest that the differences arise due to varying climates, soil types, and crop varieties, and might not be caused by organic farming. However, investigators have also emphasised that the experiment had ruled out other disturbances. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
However, the greatest scepticism is directed at the potential health benefits of organic food. Many recent investigations (233 in 2012) could hardly substantiate this argument. “The published literature lacks strong evidence to prove that organic food is more nutritious than non-organic food.” 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
This view was published as early as 2009 in a scientific journal and released by the UK Food Standards Agency (pdf). The 2012 research merely pointed out that organic food contains fewer pesticide residues. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Sanders said that he would not be influenced by the new results. “Eating organic food doesn't provide any more nutrition,” he said. “What matters is what you eat, organic or not doesn't matter.” 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
He added that organic farming did a great job of tackling soil erosion in the UK, as well as the problem of river eutrophication. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
The Food Standards Agency (pdf) states that there are several reasons why consumers buy organic food: 55% believe it is healthy, and 53% buy it to reduce chemical intake, accreditation. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
However, many people believe that environmental factors (44%), animal living conditions (31%), and the texture of the food (35%) are also very important. 文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/
Browning said: “This survey has sparked renewed interest in organic food, which enjoys a high level of support and acceptance in many other countries. We hope our findings will help the UK catch up with the pace of other European nations.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11486/