Mounting Evidence of the Value of Organic Food in the Fight Against Cancer

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A recent report by the Organic Center in the USA gave overwhelming evidence that organic foods have higher levels of antioxidants, particularly in the Flavonoid group (Flavonoids include Anthocyanidins, Flavan-3-ols, Flavanones, Isoflavones, Flavones and Flavonols etc).

“There is not enough high quality data to reach conclusions” have been the common answers given over the last few years when nutritionists and agricultural scientists have been asked the question on the minds of many consumers - “Are organic foods more nutritious?”

In fact, this sort of ambivalent answer accurately reflects, for the most part, the major conclusions reported in five published scientific literature reviews of studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional food. These reviews all appeared between 2001 and 2003. The most recent of the five reviews came out in 2003 and covered comparative studies through the end of 2001.

In the six years since 2001, more than forty new studies have been published, increasing the number of peer-reviewed studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods to over 100.

Not only has the number of studies doubled since 2000, the quality of the studies has also improved immensely, as has the sensitivity of the analytical methods used to measure nutrients contained in foods. Most studies in the 1980’s focused simply on mineral and vitamin levels, while almost all studies published since 2000 include measures of minerals, vitamins, and health-promoting polyphenols and total antioxidant capacity.

The report "New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Planted-Based Organic Foods" is available at www.organic-center.org

Flavonoid Antioxidants Protect Against Cancer

Numerous scientific studies are finding that diets high flavonoids help in the fight against cancer. Below is a list of some of the published scientific studies showing that having higher levels of flavonoids in a diet increases the protection from a range of cancers and also the survival rates of those with the diseases.

FLAVONOIDS LINKED TO LUNG CANCER PROTECTION
The risk of lung cancer amongst smokers may be decreased by as much as 50 per cent by an increased intake of antioxidant flavonoids. The flavonoids, epicatechin, catechins, and quercetin, found in tea and vegetables were associated with significant risk reductions, according to a study involving 558 patients with lung cancer and 837 healthy people published in the journal Cancer.
Source: Cancer, 15 May 2008, Volume 112, Issue 10, Pages 2241-2248
"Dietary flavonoid intake and lung cancer - a population-based case-control study"

FLAVONOIDS LINKED TO BREAST CANCER SURVIVAL
Researchers from the University of North Carolina have found that an increased intake of flavonoids may increase breast cancer survival by over 30 per cent. 1,210 women with breast cancer were surveyed. The researchers found that individuals with the highest intake of flavones and isoflavones prior to diagnosis had a 37 and 48 per cent lower risk of mortality.
Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, November 2007, Volume 16, Number 11, Pages 2285-2292 "Dietary Flavonoid Intake and Breast Cancer Survival among Women on Long Island"

FLAVONOLS LOWER PANCREATIC CANCER RISK
A study of 183,518 residents of California and Hawaii has found that people with the highest consumption of flavonols from the diet had significant risk reductions, compared to the lowest consumption.
Source: Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, April 2007, Abstract 856 "Flavonols and pancreatic cancer risk: The Multiethnic Cohort Study"

FLAVONES AND FLAVONOLS LOWER KIDNEY CANCER RISK
Italian researchers have found that an increased intake of flavonoids lowers the risk of kidney cancer by 31 per cent. The study surveyed 767 renal cell cancer patients and 1,534 controls. The researchers found that the biggest protective effect was associated with high intake of both flavones (32 per cent risk reduction) and flavonols (31 per cent risk reduction).
Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, Volume 16, Number 1, Pages 98-101 "Flavonoids and the Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma"

FLAVONOIDS LINKED TO COLORECTAL CANCER PROTECTION
Italian researchers have found that a flavonoid rich diet could lead to a 40 per cent reduction in colorectal cancer. The study from the Università degli Studi di Milano, recruited 1,953 cases of colorectal cancers and 4,154 hospital controls.
Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention (Vol. 15, pp. 1555-1558), a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.