State of Science :: Healthy Development
"Fountain of Youth Found?" -- Two-page Summary
Consumer summary of how organic food and farming contributes to healthy and graceful aging, based on the "That First Step" Critical Issue Report.
"Obesity Revisited: Beyond Exercise and Calorie Counting"
Two-page summary of the ways that organic food and farming can impact the prevalence of obesity and diabetes through the prevention of adverse epigentic changes.
"Is organically grown food safer or more nutritious?" -- Chicago Tribune, March 23, 2010
Julie Deardorff, staff health writer for the Chicago Tribune, summarizes the costs and benefits of organic food by major food group.
"The Organic Factor -- Tilting the Odds Toward Healthy Development"
This cover story in the May-June 2009 issue of "Organic Processing Magazine" covers six ways that organic food can help prevent disease throughout life, with special focus on obesity, diabetes, and birth defects.
"Promoting Sustainable Food Systems through Organic Agriculture: Past, Present and Future"
Overview of the benefits of organic food and farming published by the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Assocaition.
"That First Step -- Organic Food and a Healthier Future," A Critical Issue Report
Organic food and farming can contribute to reversing worrisome national trends in overweight, obesity and diabetes in six ways. But most important, the conscious decision by an individual to purchase organic food is, for many, that critical first step toward a healthier diet and lifestyle.
Food Quality Belongs Front and Center in "An Integrative View of Obesity"
Food quality may be the missing link in the assessment of how changes in the American diet have triggered an explosion in odesity and diabetes. Chuck Benbrook and Alan Greene explain why.
Organic Milk and Meat Enhances the Nutritional Quality of Human Breast Milk
Consumption of organic milk and meat increases the levels of the dominant Conjugated Linoleic Acid in human breast milk. This benefit is traced back to increased reliance on pasture and forages on organic beef and dairy farms.
Pesticide Exposures Increase Risk of Gestational Diabetes
Occupational exposure to pesticides during the first trimester of pregnancy more than doubles the risk of gestational diabetes.
Children of Farmworkers in North Carolina Heavily Exposed to Pesticides
A significant portion of the children of Latino farmworkers in North Carolina are exposed to a half-dozen or more pesticides in any given week, and almost none are exposure free.
"Looking Deep, Deep Into Your Genes"
Excellent overview from NRDC's "OneEarth" magazine of how prenatal exposure to pesticides and other chemicals can lead to life long health problems, and increase risk of autism.
"Let's Keep Monsanto Out of Our Milk"
Michael Hansen of the Consumers Union and David Wallinga of the Institute for Food and Agricultural Policy lay out some of the reasons the FDA denied Monsanto's recent petition to prevent the labeling of milk as rBGH free.
The Faroes Statement on the Developmental Effects of Chemical Exposures
A March 24, 2007 concensus statement signed by more than 200 leading scientists addresses the human health effects of developmental exposure to environmental toxicants, including pesticides.
American Dietetic Association Practice Group Outlines Benefits of Organic Food and Farming
The Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association has released a thorough review of the human health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming.
Common Insecticide Causes Significant Neurological Deficits in Children
Prenatal exposures to a common insecticide are shown to cause developmental deficits in three-year old children.
"Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?"
Brian Halweil of the WorldWatch Institute answers a key question, and in the process puts out to pasture several sacred cows of conventional ag wisdom.
A Primer on Epigenetics
A story in the Toronto, Canada "Globe and Mail" provides a clear explanation of epigenetic changes, and helps explain why small changes in diet and lifestyle can have surprisingly profound life-long consequences.
Consumer Summary of Mycotoxin SSR
Consumer friendly overview of the mycotoxin SSR.
Connections Between Organic Food, Healthy Children, and Lifelong Well-Being
2005 ExpoEast Presentation by Organic Center Board member Dr. Alan Greene and Dr. Chuck Benbrook, Organic Center Chief Scientist
Antioxidants in Strawberries Reduce Oxidative Damage in the Brain and Can Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Because the body's natural antioxidant defense mechansims become less efficient as people grow older, brain cells and mental acutity inevitably suffer some degree of oxidative damage in the eldely. This is one of the major reasons why consumption of foods high in antioxidant content is vital to promote graceful aging.
Organic Diet Improves Indicators of Health in a Novel European Experiment
New methods are under development to test whether and to what extent a diet composed of organic food and/or animal feed improves animal health. Improved immune system function appears to be one of the most significant benefits of a predominatly organic diet.
Scientists Identify Key Lipid-Lowering Ingredient in Soybeans
Consumption of soybeans improves cardiovascular health by helping to remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from the blood stream. For years scientists have looked for the active agent in soybeans responsible for this benefit. It has been found -- as has the mechanism through which it works.
New Science Supports Old Advice "Eat a Variety of Foods" and Highlights the Need to Increase Nutrient Density
Everyone has heard the advice "Eat a diverse diet," a recommendation that has been a part of government dietary guidelines for decades. But few studies have explored the relationship between dietary diversity and the adequacy of nutrient uptake. The few studies that have been done have reached different conclusions, in part because there is no standard definition, or way to measure, "dietary diversity."
Reducing the Risk of Spina Bifida
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of spina bifida, but why? New research suggests that reduced intakes of iron, magnesium, and niacin may increase the risk of spina bifida. Organic farming has been shown to increase the concentrations of two of these essential nutrients, compared to conventional production systems.
