NUTRITION SERIES: Are There Benefits to Eating Organic?

Hi everyone! As mentioned, I'm taking a break and shifting from sharing about my life for a while to doing a 10 post nutrition series - based on my education as a dietetics student. I'm going to be answering the popular nutrition questions you submitted with evidence - based responses from the most up to date science. You know I'm all about Health at Every Size and inclusivity in nutrition, so regardless of the topic, this is the perspective I will always be coming from. 

Today we are unpacking a big topic. 

We see it on labels, we see it on the prices: 

ORGANIC oranges, ORGANIC spinach, ORGANIC mac and cheese, ORGANIC Xbox. (Maybe not the last one). Are we paying for what we think we're getting? Is organic healthier, better for the environment, neither or both? What does it mean, and is it actually doing anything at all? 

The word "organic" sounds great. It catches my eye and ear every time! It has a better ring to it. Some people might pay even for the comforting feeling it brings. 

I'm going to break this one down, because it has layers to it, and the answer isn't completely straightforward.

What even is organic? How does a food get labeled "organic?"

In short, for produce to be labeled organic, the soil used needs to be natural without use of any prohibited substances (USDA). For meat, the livestock needs to be fed with organic feed, and animals must have access to outdoor space and pasture (USDA). Organic products cannot be handled in contact with non organic products (USDA). 

Products that are labeled "Organic" need to be 95% organic, and products labeled "made with organic" need to contain at least 70% organic content (USDA). Labels can be misleading! 

And so can men. Just because he can buy you organic, doesn't mean he's organic (we'll unpack that one another day).

Is it healthier to eat organic? Am I getting more nutrients?

The nutritional value and content is minimally different between organic and conventional (not organically produced) crops.

Even though organic products sometimes have higher content of certain vitamins/minerals, there are many factors that contribute to actually retaining the value, making it impossible to generalize nutrient content based on the label "organic" (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). Geographic factors, the climate, soil related factors, time of harvest, and time of storage of produce all contribute to the nutritional value (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). There is no existing data to suggest that the slight nutritional advantage provided by some organic foods translate to a clinical benefit or better health outcomes (Kamalakannan et al. 2021; Mie et al. 2017; Brantsaeter et al. 2017). Honestly, I would probably get more nutritional benefits from not staying up all night watching Grey's Anatomy. I don't know how, but it just seems like I would. 

Is it dangerous to not eat organic? 

 Pesticides, as mentioned before, are limited in organic foods, and the residues of these pesticides in conventional foods are our main source of exposure to them (Mie et al. 2017). Studies have shown negative impacts on children's cognitive development from exposure, but the data hasn't yet been put into formal risk assessments to identify individual pesticides (Mie et al. 2017). And believe it or not, organic also isn't a fool proof formula against contaminants - some pesticides that are approved for organic production still have known health consequences (Mie et al. 2017). Rotenone is an insecticide from the seeds and stems of certain plants known to cause Parkinson Disease in animals, and possibly humans as well (Mie et al. 2017).

There are also concerns surrounding  the use of antibiotics in animal production as a cause of widespread antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic use is less significant in organic production of animal products. There's a potential association where bacteria found in conventional meat MAY have higher resistance to antibiotics than those in organic meat, but the data is limited. (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). 

People also often fear the use of estrogen in conventional meat may increase their hormone levels when consumed to worsen risk of breast cancer and early onset puberty, but there are no studies to confirm due to such low concentration of sex steroids in animal products as they are. (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). 

In summary of this one, there is not enough data measuring relevance and health benefits from reduction of pesticide content in urine, and there is not enough out there currently to suggest meaningful health outcomes (Vigar et al. 2020). This is definitely an area in need of more research before any specific conclusions are made. 

How about the environmental Impact?

Organic farming - being organic -  releases less pesticides, herbicides, and other detrimental chemicals into the environment.

There is also debate about organic farming's impact on climate change, with some studies concluding that it requires more land, being a detriment itself (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). Although it is possible for organic farming to be done with less land than conventional farming at a much higher financial cost (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). While the methods do release less chemicals in the environment, more research is required to understand additional effects of organic food production on the environment (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). 

So… is it worth it?

Well, let's start with this. Organic foods cost between 10-40% more than conventionally produced foods do (Kamalakannan et al. 2021). 

This might be unaffordable to low income families and individuals, (i.e., a broke college student like me…).

No studies have confirmed a causal relationship between dietary pesticide exposure and negative health effects, and the evidence we currently have isn't enough to make any definite statement on health benefits of consuming an organic diet (Vigar et al. 2020). There can be no conclusion as to whether there are additional benefits from consuming organic alternatives versus the more conventionally produced products, let alone negative health impacts. (Brantsaeter et al. 2017).

From a personal standpoint, I wouldn't add worse health impacts from stress, food insecurity, and financial insecurity by trying to get food that may not make even a minimal difference. 

From a nutrition perspective, the existing facts do not add up. 

It's incredible that you're health conscious enough to be considering nutritional benefits, and to me, if you're reading this, it seems like you're getting the nutrients you need from the fruits, vegetables, meat, and mac and cheese you purchase as you already do. 

At the very least… I personally wouldn’t buy organic oranges, unless you think you're going to only be eating the skin of the oranges, the only part exposed to pesticides. In which case, DM me and I can leave you a referral for a psychologist. Which is helpful for everyone, regardless of if you eat orange peels. 

You know, we all have our stuff. Stay tuned for next week, and as always, feel free to DM me or send an email for any further questions or comments!

References

Brantsaeter, A.L., Ydersbond, T.A., Hoppin, J.A., Haugen, M., Meltzer, H.M. (2017, March 20). Organic Food in the Diet: Exposure and Health Implications. Annual Review of Public Health. 38, 295-313. 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044437 

Kamalakannan, S., Mathieu, I.P. (2021, June 1). Organic Food: Nutritional and Environmental Considerations. Pediatrics in Review. 42(6), 345-347. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.2020-002980

Mie, A., Anderson, H,R., Gunnarsson, S., Kahl, J., Kesse-Guyot, E., Rembialkowska, E., Quaglio, G., Grandjean, P. (2017, October 27). Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review. Environmental Health. 16(111). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Organic. https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards#Livestock

Vigar, V., Myers, S., Oliver, C., Arellano, J., Robinson, S., Leifert, C. (2020, January). A Systematic Review of Organic Versus Conventional Food Consumption: Is There a Measurable Benefit on Human Health? Nutrients. 12(1), 7. 10.3390/nu12010007