Despite the massive amount of evidence, some people refuse to believe that buying organic is a healthier option. I can’t be the only one who’s ever been told that buying organic is a waste of money.

In addition, a lot of people have this idea that conventionally grown produce is not only safe but just as good as the organic food.

Let’s take a look at just a few things pesticides have been linked to:

Cancer

In addition, read this from the Department of Cancer Epidemiology at the Karolinska University Hospital,
In animal studies, many pesticides are carcinogenic, (e.g., organochlorines, creosote, and sulfallate) while others (notably, the organochlorines DDT, chlordane, and lindane) are tumor promoters. Some contaminants in commercial pesticide formulations also may pose a carcinogenic risk. In humans, arsenic compounds and insecticides used occupationally have been classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
and from the College of Family Physicians of Canada:
There is increasing controversy over the use of pesticides in the community. Studies looking at pesticide use and cancer have shown a positive relationship between exposure to pesticides and the development of some cancers, particularly in children.

Fertility

Results indicate that semen changes are multifactorial in the workers exposed to pesticides as there are numerous factors affecting sperm quality in occupational exposures. Majority of pesticides including organophosphoruses affect the male reproductive system by mechanisms such as reduction of sperm density and motility, inhibition of spermatogenesis, reduction of testis weights, reduction of sperm counts, motility, viability and density, and inducing sperm DNA damage, and increasing abnormal sperm morphology. Reduced weight of testes, epididymis, seminal vesicle, and ventral prostate, seminiferous tubule degeneration, change in plasma levels of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH), decreased level and activity of the antioxidant enzymes in testes, and inhibited testicular steroidogenesis are other possible mechanisms. Moreover, DDT and its metabolites have estrogenic effects on males.

Parkinson’s

From the Department of Nutrition at Harvard,
Exposure to pesticides was reported by 7,864 participants (5.7%), including 1,956 farmers, ranchers, or fishermen. Individuals exposed to pesticides had a 70% higher incidence of PD than those not exposed (adjusted relative risk, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.3; p = 0.002).

Childhood Cancer

A growing body of epidemiological evidence demonstrates associations between parental use of pesticides, particularly insecticides, with acute lymphocytic leukemia and brain tumors. Prenatal, household, and occupational exposures (maternal and paternal) appear to be the largest risks. Prospective cohort studies link early-life exposure to organophosphates and organochlorine pesticides (primarily DDT) with adverse effects on neurodevelopment and behavior.

These are just four instances out of thousands that prove pesticides are harmful. However, the good news is that you can reduce the pesticides in your system in just one week.

How To Reduce the Pesticides In Your System In One Week

In conclusion, eat organic food.

Seems simple, right? Wrong.

Dr. Liza Oates from the School of Health Sciences in Australia performed a study that demonstrated how an organic diet, followed for one week, reduced pesticides by 90%. Here are the highlights of the study:

  • Organophosphate pesticide exposure in Australian adults is mainly through the diet.
  • One week of eating mostly organic food reduced urine pesticide levels by nearly 90%.
  • The clinical relevance of reducing pesticide exposure requires further study.
  • Eating organic food is a precautionary approach to reduce pesticide exposure.
So the next time someone tells you buying organic isn’t worth it, just shove this article in their face. People love that.
Importantly, we should note that this study was performed in Australia. They are much stricter than the U.S. about what they will and will not allow in their food supply. While America refuses to even label GMOs…
So depending on your diet, it may take longer to rid your body of pesticides. Most of all, you should make a concerted effort to eat organically and locally if possible. Your money won’t go toward support farms that use pesticides.
Is buying organic food a waste of money? Here's proof that's not the case, especially when it comes to fighting cancer!
Cancer Fighting Food - learn how eating Organic food can help prevent cancer + how to eliminate pesticides in your system #cancer, #prevention

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9498903

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2231435/#__ffn_sectitle

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24487096

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16802290

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23184105

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001393511400067X

8 Comments

  1. Can you cite any studies done that show organic foods are better for you? After all, the air, ground and water are polluted. So how can we escape the damage done by chemicals in the environment? Basically, I agree with you. Organic should be better. However, I am also a realist. To me the real proof is in the studies done.

    • dani stout Reply

      I mean, I literally did that. The studies show that pesticides cause disease. Organic produce is low in pesticides. Ergo…

    • I’m afraid I am unable to provide the exact links at the moment, but when I researched this in the past, I read studies that demonstrated that organic produce had measurable higher nutritional content than nonorganic. It stands to reason that a plant grown in rich organic soil would have a higher nutrient profile than one jacked up on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Much like a child raised on a nutritious diet versus one raised on chemicals, additives, and drugs.

  2. Sydney Hofes Reply

    Kathy S-
    For the sources you need to copy and paste her website links underneath the article. They aren’t in MLA or in site quotations, that threw me for a loop too.

    But besides that, I enjoyed the article and I will look at the links and do some research on my own about how to eliminate this risk..

    Thank you Dani

  3. Thank you for this. I appreciate that you quoted studies and included links to your sources, and especially that you quoted Oates’s study, which made the direct correlation between the foods we eat and the pesticides in our bodies. Sharing.

  4. I’m curious if you have any info or links to the whole “pesticides are still used on organic foods too” argument I hear so much about?
    Thanks, love your blog!

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