Monday, September 3, 2012

Study finds little evidence of nutritional benefits in organic food - kgw.com

by Keely Chalmers

Bio | Email | Follow: @KeelyChalmers

kgw.com

Posted on September 3, 2012 at 8:31 PM

A new medical study suggests organic doesn't necessarily mean healthier.

Medical researchers at Stanford University looked at data from more than 200 studies of organic versus conventionally grown food and concluded that organic food and non-organic food were virtually the same in vitamin content.

“Nutritionally there's no greater value between organic or inorganic produce,” said registered dietitian Ruth Carey who supports the findings.

The research also found that although organic foods had less pesticide residue, all the produce studied had pesticide levels that fell below federally-set safety limits.

It is research that Forest Grove organic farmer Amy Love thinks is flawed.

Love says organic fruit and vegetables are picked and sold at the peak of ripeness, and the fresher the food the more nutritious it is.

“You're picking right when it’s ripe… you don't have to pick it green so that it can travel thousands of miles and spray it with ethylene so it will ripen in the store,” said Love.

Love claims truly organic food is healthier for the body simply because is grown without any chemicals.

While this latest study found little evidence of added health benefits of organic food, experts agree long term studies need to be done.

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