Health questions: is organic food and drink better for you?
A recent study sheds light on the nutritional differences between organic and non-organic milk and meat.
Is organic better for you?
The straight answer: yes
The facts: it may cost significantly more, but switching to organic milk and meat could boost one’s nutritional intake, especially of healthful fatty acids and certain essential minerals and antioxidants, according to a study by an international team of experts.
In the largest study of its kind, the research team, led by Newcastle University in Britain, found that both organic milk and meat contain about 50 per cent more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally produced products.
Organic meat has slightly lower concentrations of two saturated fats (myristic and palmitic acid) that are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Organic milk contains 40 per cent more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) – a nutrient linked to long-term weight management and optimal health – and slightly higher concentrations of iron, Vitamin E and some carotenoids, than conventional milk.
The research team – involving experts from the UK, US, France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Poland – arrived at these findings after analysing data from around the world, including 196 papers on milk and 67 papers on meat. Their findings were published recently in the British Journal of Nutrition.