Eating Organic Foods Reduces the Amount of Pesticides You Consume Protecting Against Disease

The argument about organic and conventional foods had centered on whether the nutritional makeup of organic food was better than conventional food, but it was realized that was not even the biggest issue.

The real issue involved the level of pesticides in organic food compared to conventionally grown food. Pesticides are a concern because studies have linked exposure to pesticides with increased risk of chronic diseases like cancers, diabetes, brain disorders, birth defects, and reproductive disorders.

The level of pesticide consumption was of special concern in developing children who were more susceptible to the effects of the pesticides on their development.

To test the levels of pesticides in organic food compared to conventional foods children age 3-11 were entered into a study^[1] and where fed conventional food and organic food.

They were fed conventional food for a few days, and then organic foods few a few days, and then returned back to a conventional diet. The levels of pesticides in organic verses conventional foods was measured by pesticide breakdown products in their urine.

The results showed a dramatically lower amount of pesticides eliminated in the urine of children when they were consuming organic foods compared to when they ate conventional food.

A similar study^[2] was conducted, but this time with adults. The results showed a 90% reduction in pesticides in the adults when they consumed organic food compared to conventional food.

The debate still continues about whether organic food has more nutritional value than conventional foods, but the science clearly shows that conventional foods contain a greater amount of pesticides than do organic foods.