Eating organic food may feel healthy – but it does not cut the risk of developing cancer, according to the findings of a major study today.
Organic food is free of pesticide chemicals – and users hope this will help protect them from cancer.
But, according to the latest research, organic food may even be linked with an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
This is balanced by a small reduction in the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The findings, reported in the British Journal of Cancer, come from a study of about 600,000 women over the age of 50.
The women were asked if they ate organic food and then tracked for a nine-year period during which about 50,000 women developed cancer.
Researcher Professor Tim Key, of Oxford University, UK, said: "In this large study of middle-aged women in the UK we found no evidence that a woman’s overall cancer risk was decreased if she generally ate organic food.
"More research is needed to follow-up our findings of a possible reduction in risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
Dr Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, which backed the research, said: “This study adds to the evidence that eating organically grown food doesn’t lower your overall cancer risk. But if you’re anxious about pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables, it’s a good idea to wash them before eating.
“Scientists have estimated that over nine per cent of cancer cases in the UK may be linked to dietary factors, of which almost five per cent are linked to not eating enough fruit and vegetables.
"So eating a well-balanced diet which is high in fruit and vegetables – whether conventionally grown or not – can help reduce your cancer risk.”
Bradbury, KE et al. Organic food consumption and the incidence of cancer in a large prospective study of women in the UK British Journal of Cancer 28 March 2014; doi:10.1038/bjc.2014.148
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