Food for thought

Banasree Purkayastha
Posted: Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 at 0000 hrs IST
Updated: Sunday, Dec 16, 2007 at 0411 hrs IST

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: the certification governing body for organic food.” The SGS Organic Production Standard is a worldwide programme for organic production and processing.

Several recent studies have considered the benefits of eating organic food. Quite a few have concentrated on finding whether organic foods can lower the incidence of certain diseases. A recent study finds that organically grown tomatoes have higher levels of flavonoids, which may protect against cardiovascular disease. Writing in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers from the University of California, Davis, said the level of one flavonoid in the organic tomatoes was almost twice as high as that in conventionally grown tomatoes. Organic farms, the researchers said, gradually improve the soil by letting organic matter accumulate through the use of cover crops, compost and manure. “Preliminary data indicate that organic food is not inferior to conventionally-grown food and could provide more anti-oxidants. However, long-term studies need to be undertaken to prove without doubt that organic food is nutritionally better,” says Dr Shyam Aggarwal, senior consultant in oncology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

Explains Dr Archana Juneja, consultant endocrinologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai, “Exposure to harmful chemicals can affect the reproductive hormones that manifest in symptoms like depression, nausea, infertility, etc. However, no study has proved that there is a direct link between consumption of conventional food and such health problems. More conclusive studies need to be undertaken before they can form the basis for switching over to organic food.”

While various findings have been reported, there is no study that has favoured organic food outright. This year a study funded by the European Union and conducted by researchers from Newcastle University has claimed that milk from herds of cattle raised in an “organic” environment contained 90% higher levels of antioxidants (are thought to prevent cancer and heart diseases) than the milk from cattle raised otherwise. It also said that organic food contained more beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc. Findings from the project, which is the first to investigate the physiology of produce from the different farming techniques, will be peer reviewed and published over the next 12 months. “Organically grown food tends to have higher concentration of micro-nutrients. However, one has to remember that conventionally grown food, using pesticides or artificial ripeners within the permissible limits are safe for the general population. So there is yet no reason to discard traditional food in favour of its organic...

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