Are There Significant Benefits To Buying Organic Foods For Kids?

There are so many great reasons to pay attention to organic products. For parents out there it's refreshing and important to hear this from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Dr. Philip Landrigan, pediatrician, epidemiologist and professor of preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said he “strongly” agreed with the report’s finding regarding the potential benefits of feeding children organic foods.

“Children who eat a largely organic diet have 90 percent lower levels of pesticides in their bodies than children who eat conventionally grown, or pesticide-treated, food”Landrigan wrote in an  email.

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This is a copy from the Organic-market.info website

USA: Clinical report highlights benefits of organic

Source: OTA

A clinical report published online by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) highlighting the many attributesof organic foodsprovides guidance to parents confused by conflicting marketing messages regarding healthy food choices for their children. Calling the report a major milestone for the organic sector, the Organic Trade Association(OTA) hails it as a confirmation of the significance of the benefits that organic provides.

Overall, the clinical report, which is scheduled to appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics, cited the following contributions of organic farming and food consumption:

• Lower exposure to pesticides known to cause disease
• Lower exposure to drug-resistant bacteria
• Higher beneficial nutrient levels such as Vitamin C, total phenols and phosphorus
• Lower levels of detrimental substances such as nitrates
• Yields comparable to those of conventional farming techniques while avoiding environmental pollution and reducing fossil fuel consumption
• Lower pesticide exposure for farm workers
• Lower overall environmental impact than conventional farming.

Co-authors Dr. Joel Forman and Dr. Janet Silverstein have added that there is a need for additional studies to improve the understanding of the long-term health effects of pesticide exposure from conventional foods and from the consumption of meat from hormone-treated animals, as well as to study nutritional aspects of food grown organically.