According to a study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, people who eat a lot of organic food are at far less risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and all lymphomas.
The report was conducted by the Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics in France and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the USA.
In their research, 70,000 French adults were required to report their eating habits: how often they consumed 16 different food groups which included fruits, vegetables, soy-based products, s, chocolate and prepared meals.
Findings showed that volunteers with a diet rich in organic food had a 25 per cent lower risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer and lymphomas during the five-year follow-up period compared to those who rarely consumed organic produce.
The results found that among the participants, there were 69 cases of postmenopausal breast cancer in those who consumed the least amount of organic food. This compares to 50 new cases among those who consumed the most amount of organic produce.
Meanwhile, for cases of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, the same groups registered 15 cases and 2 cases, respectively.
“Our results indicate that higher organic food consumption is associated with a reduction in the risk of overall cancer,” writes the study.
“We observed reduced risks for specific cancer sites (postmenopausal breast cancer, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and all lymphomas) among individuals with a higher frequency of organic food consumption.”
Unfortunately, scientists did not find a link between a diet high in organic food and a lower risk of other cancers.
Researchers suggest organic foods “are less likely to contain pesticide residues than conventional foods” and this may be the main reason behind the results.
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