Organic crops are nutritionally much healthier than others – and should lead to better health, according to a new UK study.
Researchers found much lower levels of toxic metals such as cadmium in organic products.
They also found higher levels of natural anti-oxidants, equivalent to up to two portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
The findings fly in the face of studies that have failed to find health benefits from eating organic food – although these may have difficulty disentangling other lifestyle factors, including wealth, that lead people to choose organic food.
Researchers at Newcastle University studied some 343 pieces of research, claiming this was many more than available to other researchers.
Their findings were reported in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Researcher Professor Carlo Leifert said there was no an "urgent need" for properly controlled studies of the effect of organic eating on human health.
He said: “This study demonstrates that choosing food produced according to organic standards can lead to increased intake of nutritionally desirable antioxidants and reduced exposure to toxic heavy metals.
“This constitutes an important addition to the information currently available to consumers which until now has been confusing and in many cases is conflicting.”
He added: “The organic vs non-organic debate has rumbled on for decades now but the evidence from this study is overwhelming – that organic food is high in antioxidants and lower in toxic metals and pesticides."
Baranski, M. et al. Higher antioxidant concentrations and less cadmium and pesticide residues in organically-grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition July 2014
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