Can eating organic foods reduce your risk of cancer?

The authors of this study, known as the Million Women study, said at the time that the wealthier, more educated women in the study, who were more likely to buy organic foods, also had risk factors increasing the risk of bad cancer. cancer, such as having fewer children and consuming more alcohol.

The organic food market has grown in recent years in both Europe and the United States. According to the results of the survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association in 2018, organic food sales reached $ 45.2 billion last year in the United States.

For food to be certified organic by the Department of Agriculture, products must be grown without the use of most synthetic fertilizers. pesticides and can not contain genetically modified organisms. The meat must be produced by raising animals fed with organic foods without the use of hormones or antibiotics. According to the Organic Trade Group, these products now account for 5.5% of all foods sold in retail stores.

A representative of the Alliance for Food and Agriculture, a group that seeks to address public concerns about pesticides, said that consumers should not be safe. ;worry. on cancer risks related to the consumption of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. "Decades of peer-reviewed and widely-conducted nutritional studies using conventionally grown products have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables prevents diseases, such as cancer, and other diseases." prolongs life, "said Teresa Thorne, Executive Director of in an email. declaration.

For the study, researchers recruited 68,946 volunteers aged 44 years on average at the start of the study. The vast majority, 78%, were women.

Participants provided detailed information on the frequency with which they ate 16 different types of organic foods. Researchers asked about a wide range of food products, including fruits, vegetables, dairy and soy products, meat, fish and eggs, as well as grains and pulses, bread and vegetables. cereals, flour, oils and condiments, wine, coffee and milk. teas, biscuits and chocolate and sugar, and even dietary supplements. The study volunteers provided three records of their consumption for 24 hours, including portion sizes, over a two-week period.

The information provided was much more detailed than that provided by participants in the British Million Women study, which answered only one question. question about how many times they have eaten organic.