by Melissa J Luther

Created on: October 14, 2009   Last Updated: October 16, 2009

The health benefit of organic foods has been debated for years, with each side interpreting the same data as supporting its view. Despite the controversy, consumers who believe in the benefits of organic foods are fueling a rapid growth in the organics market.

According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic food and beverages in the U.S. reached an estimated $20 billion in 2007, up from only $1 billion in 1990. Sales are projected to continue growing at about 18% per year.

However, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) recently published a review indicating that the evidence does not support claims of higher nutritional value in organic versus non-organic foods. This review examined 55 papers published over 50 years and found there was no statistical difference in the nutrient content of the foods. This is not to say there were no differences - there were. The differences were considered too small to have any public health impacts.

Rather than put the debate to rest, the AJCN report appears to have fanned the flames of the debate. Regardless of whether or not organic foods contain more nutrients than conventionally-grown foods, two points seem to rarely be in dispute:

1. Organic foods taste better. The soil in which food grows affects how it tastes, and organically-grown produce is grown in richer soil than non-organic foods. As a result, organic produce has more taste.

We like to eat things that taste good, so if organic produce tastes good we are more likely to eat our vegetables. And, of course, eating our vegetables is good for our health.

2. Organic foods are produced without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones. These chemicals are all potentially detrimental to human health.

Pesticides and fertilizers have been linked to numerous diseases, including cancer. In a press release from The Organic Center, the center's chairman, pediatrician Alan Greene, M.D., says "Recent science has established strong links between exposure to pesticides at critical stages of prenatal development and throughout childhood, and heightened risk of pre-term, underweight babies, developmental abnormalities ... as well as diabetes and cancer."

In addition, indiscriminate antibiotic use in animals encourages development of resistant strains of bacteria. Since some of these bacteria can infect humans, we want to be able to successfully treat infections. Conventional livestock production threatens that ability.

The direct benefits of

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