Eating organic regularly could reduce the risk of cancer
According to a French epidemiological study, regularly eating organic foods would reduce the risk of cancer occurrence by at least 25%.
Beyond the ethical and environmental aspects, these products are derived from production methods without phytosanitary products and synthetic inputs, and could therefore be accompanied by a health benefit.
However, the limited epidemiological data available are not sufficient at the present time to conclude that there is a protective effect of organic food on health.
That’s why researchers conducted an epidemiological study based on the analysis of a sample of nearly 69,000 participants (78% women, mean age 44 years). During the seven years of follow-up (2009–2016), more than 1,300 new cancer cases were recorded and validated on the basis of medical records. A 25% decrease in cancer risk was observed among “regular” consumers of organic foods compared to more casual consumers.
The presence of synthetic pesticide residues much more common and at higher doses in foods derived from conventional agriculture compared to organic foods could explain these data.
The conclusions of this study must be confirmed by further investigations.
