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No health benefits to organic food

Organics no better for us than regular food, study shows

Organic produce has about the same nutritional value—and no proven extra health benefits—when compared to the regular stuff, UK researchers have found. A team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examined evidence on nutrition and health benefits over the last 50 years; among the 55 of 162 studies that were included in their analysis, a small number of differences cropped up in nutrition between organic and conventionally produced food. However, the differences were not large enough to indicate any public health relevance, study leader Dr. Alan Dangour told the BBC. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study found no differences in nutrients (including vitamin C, calcium, and iron) in these vegetables, meat, dairy or eggs. The differences that were pinpointed (including levels of nitrogen and phosphorus) were probably due to different fertilizers and ripeness at time of harvest, the study said, and are unlikely to provide any health benefit.But Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, said that more research was needed.

BBC News

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