Organic food and health – status and future perspectives

Summary

The effect of three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogeneous diets composed of ingredients originating from three different cultivation systems (“Organic”, low input of fertilizer without pesticides; “Minimally fertilised”, low input of fertilizer and high input of pesticides, “Conventional”, high input of fertilizer and high input of pesticides) was investigated with respect to several physiological responses and biomarkers of health using a rat model. The diets were optimized according to the nutritional requirements of rats, except for a high content of fat. The diets consisted of equal proportions of potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apples, and rapeseed oil, which were grown according to three different cultivation systems. Even though most of the measured variables (biomarkers of health) showed no differences between the experimental diets, the actual recorded differences were all likely to be in favour of the “organic” diet contrasted with the “conventional” diet. However, the results presently obtained cannot be extrapolated to all organic and conventional cropping systems, mainly because crops were grown only in one replication. Thus, it is of outmost importance that future investigations on the effect of organic food in relation to human health and well-being should be based on well-defined and controlled food produce system with replications.