Are organic foods more nutritious than conventionally produced foods?

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The over-representation of organic food of being nutritionally superior to conventional food has helped the sales of organic foods to skyrocket. And thus, the beginning of Organic certification requirements and farming practices. Assuming the organic foods being more nutritious and grown with no synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics or growth hormones, the consumers pay double the price of conventional foods. Foods that are grown outdoors, under direct sunlight, fresh air, without using pesticides, animal by-products, synthetic hormones, chemical fertilizer, are considered as organic food. Nevertheless, the definition and practices in organic farming may vary from country to country. An additional organic farming regulation, require the organic foods to be processed without irradiation, chemical-based food additives, and not from genetically modified organisms. But the fact that organic foods are not free from pesticides and even if it is free would be of no good for any. Earlier, many articles on comparative studies on the nutritional content of organic, and conventional foods have reported differences in nutrient content. These were unsystematic studies with no rigorous tests on the statistical ground.

A review study assessed health outcomes in humans with organic and conventional diets. Among diets include vegetables, grains, meats, poultry, milk, and eggs. And the nutrients include Ascorbic acid, beta-Carotene, alpha-Tocopherol, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Protein, Fiber, Quercetin, Kaempferol, flavonoids. Organic food doesn't come with additional nutritional benefits over non-organic or conventional food. Neither they are more nutritious over foods produced using regular methods. However, consuming organic foods may help to reduce exposure to the remains of pesticides in foods and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Reference:

1. Crystal Smith-spangler, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2012.