People are becoming more drawn to organic food because of the perception that it is healthier than its non-organic counterparts, but are they?

In a new study, experts say organic food are indeed more nutritious, at least for milk and meat products.

Despite the seemingly good effects of organic food, there have been increasing concerns about whether or not the use of organic production may affect the quality of food, particularly milk and meat.

For more than 20 years, large studies have investigated the concentration of nutritional content between organic and non-organic milk and dairy products. Most of these researchers have delved into the fatty acid content of milk, while others into the antioxidant/vitamin and mineral properties of organic fruits and vegetables.

The studies have provided contrasting results, leading to more confusion as to the real value of organic milk against non-organic ones.

Combining Studies

To settle the issue once and for all, a group of researchers combined previous relevant studies and analyzed the results.

"Here we report results of meta-analyses based on 170 published studies comparing the nutrient content of organic and conventional bovine milk," the authors write.

The researchers specifically calculated average figures and looked into specific levels of nutrients that the two types of milk have.

To ensure reliability, the researchers generated percentage differences.

Fatty Acid Composition

The researchers looked into the fatty acid composition of milk, dairy products and meat based on the published researches. They found that organic versions of these food items have 50 percent more omega-3 fatty acids than the non-organic counterparts. This is because the animals forage on omega-3-rich grasses that end up in the final food product.

Antioxidants/Vitamins And Minerals

The authors also looked into the antioxidant/vitamin and mineral contents of organic versus non-organic milk. They were able to establish that organic milk has higher levels of vitamin E.

Surprisingly, the levels of iodine in organic milk are slightly but significantly lower than conventional bovine milk. However, both concentrations fall within levels that European farm surveys deem high. The European Food Safety authority has even proposed to lower down iodine levels in cattle feed to address this issue.

The authors also found that organic milk contains higher iron content compared to conventional milk. However, this does not indicate significant findings as milk is recognized as a relatively poor source of dietary iron to begin with.

Wrapping It Up

The current study looks like it won't end the debate of organic versus non-organic food anytime soon.

Although organic milk was found to have higher good fatty acid composition, the effects of this finding on people's health was not clearly established. Aside from that, there are other different factors that must also be considered.

For one, people striving to be healthy rarely drink full-fat milk, which is the type of milk included in the study. People typically go for skimmed and semi-skimmed milk, which contain smaller amounts of these good fatty acids. So even if they drink high amounts of this "diet milk," they still would not be able to obtain the level of fatty acids mentioned in the study. What's worse, these people may even chug the same amount of saturated fats contained in small amounts of full-fat milk.

As for the antioxidants/vitamins and minerals, experts say the high levels found in organic milk are unlikely to create significant effects on humans as there are other food items in regular diets that provide much more.

Ultimately, it may be not be too wise to think that consuming organic food and drinks may boost health without considering other essential factors such as physical activity and alcohol intake, among many others.

The study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition on Tuesday, Feb 16.

Photo : Guy Montag | Flickr