What You Eat Can Save Your Life…or Not
New Title
Hello again everyone: We left off last week with the fact that diet is the leading risk factor for death and disability. In other words, we want to nail down what smart eating is. Here are two studies that somewhat contradict each other yet manage to tease out nuggets of data that are very important to put into daily practice. The first study says organic is important, the second study says not so much…but what else the second study went on to say is super important. Then a third study helps clarify things.
Conclusions and relevance: A higher frequency of organic food consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. If these findings are confirmed, further research is necessary to determine the underlying factors involved in this association.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30422212/ organic food lowers cancer risk
Abstract: The available literature reports inconclusive findings regarding the frequency of organic food consumption and cancer incidence. This systematic review evaluated the effect of the frequency of organic food consumption on overall and site-specific cancer risk… The findings suggest that the overall and site-specific cancer risk are not associated with the frequency of consumption of organic foods.
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/2/160 organic food does not lower cancer risk, but other things do
Bottom Line: Here is what the second study went on to discuss:
Dietary changes may lower the prevalence of cancer [5]. It is known that healthier nutritional choices, such as daily consumption of at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables, 30 g of fiber, whole-grain cereals, and pulses, may reduce the risk of developing cancer, as proposed by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research [6]. Dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean diet, may prevent new cancer cases due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components [7]. Additionally, specific food items have been recommended as potential anti-cancer interventions, including organic food. The study of organic food consumption as a treatment for cancer patients started early on in 1920 when Dr. Gerson used organic food as treatment, due to its possible therapeutical specialties [8]. The use of pesticides in conventional food agriculture is one of the main reasons why organic foods prevail, as they probably provide more beneficial components to humans than conventional food [9].
The third study says this:
“A significant inverse relationship (My comment: this means the more organic the less the diseases listed) between organic food consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, was observed in the majority of prospective studies. The data on cancer risk and nutrient value comparison between organic and conventional foods were inconclusive. Clinical trials consistently indicated lower pesticide exposure in participants on organic diets, suggesting potential health benefits. The consumption of organic foods is associated with reduced cardiometabolic risks and pesticide exposure. However, the long-term impact on cancer risk remains undetermined.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-024-01505-w organic foods reduce chronic illness
My summary: Smart eating includes dietary choices that lower the prevalence of chronic degenerative diseases which are the leading causes of suffering, death and disability. But sadly, the data on cancer and organic diets is inconclusive. Yet the dietary pattern that has documented massive health improvements is best described as predominantly an unprocessed, whole-foods, plant-based diet. That is a major take-away and a solid place to start. You don’t have to go completely organic, and you don’t have to be perfect. In my experience, when you get to 80% of your food plan as unprocessed, whole-foods, plant predominant meals, you should see major health benefits.
