Radiant rats fuel organic food debate

[Dodger]

Rats fed on organic food are slimmer, sleep better and have stronger immune systems than others fed on conventionally-grown produce, researchers have found.

The controversial findings are likely to re-start the debate over whether organic food is more beneficial for humans or, as some have said, it is an expensive alternative which has no effect on health.

In the past scientists have found it difficult to prove whether an organic diet was beneficial, as health is influenced by many factors.

A team from the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, aided by a Newcastle University scientist, experimented on 36 rats, feeding one group organic food, another conventionally grown food, with high levels of fertiliser and some pesticide, and a third group minimally-fertilised food.

All the rats were given potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apples and rapeseed oil, and nutrient levels were monitored to make sure they were the same for each group.

They were also given the same vitamin supplements and all were said to have thrived. Pesticide residue was also measured and found to be below detection levels in all rats.

Yet the scientists found the rats fed organic food were healthier, in that they slept better, were more resistant to illness and less obese.

http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=191042005

[camkuhns]

My vote is for organic foods having a negative impact on human health...mainly e coli bacteria.

[Grimalkin]

I'd rather take my chances with the e-coli if it means no pesticides...

[Nancy LC]

I don't see that e-coli has anything to do with a food's organic status or not. It's a bacteria that either type of food can be exposed to.

[Grimalkin]

It has to do with the manure used to fertilize organic stuff.
Organic Food Non Safety? (http://www.cgfi.org/materials/articles/2004/may_26_04.htm)
Study yields mixed findings about microbes on organic produce (http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/fs/food-disease/news/may1904produce.html)

[Zuleikaa]

You haven't heard about what they've found on imported fruits and vegetables? The e coli found on the organic produce wasn't the infectious type.

[Nancy LC]

I don't know how prevalent the use of manure is in commercial organic foods. There's lots of other organic fertilizers that don't contain manure.

I remember hearing about people getting sick off of unpasturized apple juice where cows were being grazed in the orchard. Presumably the apples got exposed to manure, maybe windfall apples.

[Grimalkin]

I think it's a rather sad statement on what we've been conditioned to accept when we worry about organic produce (ooh, icky manure!) but are ok with consuming and living with organophosphates and other pesticides.

Maybe the regular stuff tends to be "cleaner" because few organisms can grow on their toxic-sprayed surfaces?

[doreen T]

..... Pesticide residue was also measured and found to be below detection levels in all rats.
Interesting!


Doreen

[Zuleikaa]

Maybe the regular stuff tends to be "cleaner" because few organisms can grow on their toxic-sprayed surfaces?
I was just coming back to post that thought, lol!!!

[bluesmoke]

It's nice to have studies that produce results that agree with my preconceptions, but I have strong questions about the relevance of rodent studies to human beings. Nyah Levi

[Angeline]

It's nice to have studies that produce results that agree with my preconceptions, but I have strong questions about the relevance of rodent studies to human beings. Nyah Levi


I would agree with you when it comes to the nitty gritty stuff. For example that dumb experiment of feeding saturated fat to rabbits was totally pointless, as they are herbivores not carnivores.

However we are still animals and we do share pretty much the same makeup. Poison that will harm rats will harm us. So I think the experiment is valid. They weren't feeding the rat some irrelevant substance they weren't designed to eat. They fed the rats an optimal diet (for rats) and compared with the same diet but with pesticides and fertilizer. Logic would dictate that if pesticides are bad for rats, they would be bad for us.

[tie_guy]

I am sure pesticides and other things that they add to conventional veggies are bad, but I have always wondered how many of the pesticides are removed by simply washing the produce? Also I assume organic food is more expensive in part because organic farms have a lower yield? I know it isn't as simple as this but if all farms were to switch to organic would that mean that there would be much less food in the food supply? Would that cause a certain number of people to go hungry than normally wouldn't? We already have a hunger problem right here in the US. Veggies with pesticides are still a million times better than the processed high carb low fat junk that fills most people's dinner tables.

[Zuleikaa]

The US produces much more food than it can possibly use. Much of our food crop is left to rot in fields or warehouse for want of a market. People are certainly going hungry but it has little to do with crop yeilds. Further their have been studines that organic farming actually can produce larger yeilds, depending on crop, than conventional factory farms.