(source Green Planet.net) Organic fruits and vegetables (but also organic cereals) contain higher levels of antioxidants, often associated with a lower risk of cancers and other diseases. The research was conducted by the University of Newcastle and published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
The researchers reviewed 343 scientific articles published on the subject, applying statistical methods to compare the different results. It has emerged that, on average, organic products contain 17% more antioxidants and, for some classes, the percentage is even higher. Flavanones, for example, typical of citrus fruits, showed a 69% higher level, while anthocyanins, also present in red wine, increased by 51%.
Carlo Leifert, lead author of the study, explains: 'It has been demonstrated that there is a variation in the composition of foods depending on the method of cultivation.
Now we need to study the effect that switching to an organic diet can have. Some of these antioxidants have been linked by scientific studies to a lower risk of cancers and other diseases'.
The analysis also found that pesticide residues are a quarter of those of traditionally cultivated fruits and vegetables.
Cadmium, a metal considered toxic and one of the three for which the WHO has set a maximum limit in foods, is 48% lower and nitrogen compounds, nitrites and nitrates, drop to 87%. Good news for those Italians who, despite the crisis, are increasingly turning to the organic market, which has a turnover of 3.1 billion euros.
It was calculated on the basis of data referring to the first half of 2013, that more than half of Italians (54 percent) had purchased organic food at least once in the previous 12 months, with the best performance in fruit and vegetables, with a +8%.
