People who eat more organic food have a lower risk of cancer? Or because they have more money
It is unclear in science whether organic food can reduce the risk of cancer. The latest research found that people who choose to eat organic food for more than 4-5 years have a slightly lower risk of cancer, especially lymphoma and breast cancer. However, although there is a correlation between eating organic foods and a reduction in cancer incidence, it does not mean that there is a causal relationship between the two.
A recent study found that there is an association between eating organic foods and reducing the incidence of certain cancers, but does this mean that there is a causal relationship between the two?
Rosemary Stanton of the University of New South Wales in Australia studied this issue.
It is unclear in science whether organic food can reduce the risk of cancer.
The latest research found that people who choose to eat organic food for more than 4-5 years have a slightly lower risk of cancer, especially lymphoma and breast cancer.
However, although there is a correlation between eating organic foods and a reduction in cancer incidence, it does not mean that there is a causal relationship between the two.
People who choose to eat organic foods tend to be healthier, wealthier, and more educated, and all known factors affect cancer risk.
Previous studies have shown that the higher the intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains, and the lower the intake of processed, red meat, the lower the risk of cancer.
How was this research about health and nutrition conducted?
This research is part of the French NutriNet-Santé research project, which aims to study the various associations between health and nutrition. Approximately 70,000 volunteers participated in this research.
In the initial phase of the study, the diet of each participant was evaluated according to French nutrition guidelines, and their dietary consumption was recorded three times a day for more than two weeks.
Two months after the study, participants were required to provide specific information about their consumption of 16 types of organically labeled foods, including fruits, vegetables, soy products, dairy products, meat and fish.
Based on the information provided by the participants, they will receive an "organic food score". If they choose all 16 categories of organic food, they will get a maximum of 32 points.
Researchers evaluate the health of each participant every year and monitor them for an average of 4-5 years. When any cancer case occurs, its details are independently confirmed by the hospital or treating doctor where the participant personally visited.
What did the researchers evaluating health viz z viz organic food find?
In the group with the highest organic food score, participants had a 25% reduction in overall cancer risk.
Among them, the most obvious manifestations are breast cancer (especially postmenopausal women) and lymphoma (especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma).
This study did not show a correlation with prostate cancer or colorectal cancer, possibly because it is not easy to detect changes in a relatively short period of time.
What do we need to consider for establishing fact of organic food has lower cancer risk?
Since people who choose organically grown products tend to have higher incomes, higher education levels, and healthier diets, the researchers adjusted for these factors.
They also adjusted for other factors that may affect the results: age, gender, months of participation in the project, marital status, physical activity, smoking status, drinking status, family history of cancer, body mass index, height, energy intake, Dietary fiber, red meat and processed meat intake.
For women (78% of the study participants), the researchers also adjusted the study based on the number of their children, oral contraceptives, postmenopausal status, and use of menopausal hormone therapy.
However, although the researchers tried to adjust their results based on these factors, due to the large number of participants, it was difficult to determine the correlation between cancer risk and consumption of more organic products. (Consumers who choose organic food tend to have healthier diets.)
Participants with high organic food scores generally had healthier diets, higher fruit and vegetable intake, lower intake of red meat and processed meat, and lower levels of obesity.
So, are certain cancers related to pesticides in traditional foods?
Or do those who choose organic foods over traditional foods have better diets and healthier lifestyles?
This study did not and cannot tell us the answer.
Need to be confirmed in future research.
A 2014 study in the United Kingdom found that among women who “usually or always” eat organic food, the prevalence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma decreased by 21%.
The study also pointed out that people who consume organic foods have a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer (however, the survey participants drink relatively more alcohol and have relatively fewer children, and both factors increase the risk of breast cancer).
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a cancer professional organization under the World Health Organization, classified some pesticides as "possible human carcinogens."
This means that there is only limited evidence that there is a link between the use of pesticides and human cancer, but in animal experiments, there is sufficient evidence to prove that there is a link between the use of pesticides and cancer.
There is also evidence that people who consume more organic products have lower levels of pesticide residues in their urine.
An ideal way to study this problem in the future should be to select a similar group to monitor the incidence of cancer.
Half of them eat a certain amount of organic food, and the other half eat the same amount of food produced by traditional agricultural methods. In this way, the relationship between pesticide residues in their urine and the incidence of cancer can be more accurately assessed after a few years.
However, Rosemary Stanton of the University of New South Wales in Australia said that it is not realistic to conduct such a study given the time and expense involved.
Author's Bio
Name: Gwynneth May
Educational Qualification: MBBS, MD (Medicine) Gold Medalist
Profession: Doctor
Experience: 16 Years of Work Experience as a Medical Practitioner
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