Study Refutes Health Benefits of Organic Foods

LONDONConsumers who eat organic foods may not be getting additional nutrition benefits, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health systematically reviewed 12 previously published studies to assess the strength of evidence that nutrition-related health benefits could be attributed to the consumption of foods produced under organic farming methods.

The results of the largest study suggested an association of reported consumption of strictly organic dairy products with a reduced risk of eczema in infants, but the majority of the remaining studies showed no evidence of differences in nutrition-related health outcomes that result from exposure to organic or conventionally produced foodstuffs. Given the paucity of available data, the heterogeneity of study designs used, exposures tested, and health outcomes investigated, no quantitative meta-analysis was justified.