Researchers noticed that people who consume more organic foods are more aware of their own health and have other habits. Scientists agree that even with these results, it is still more important for people to eat more fruits and vegetables, regardless of whether the produce is organic or not, if they want to prevent cancer.
Could organic food really be related to fewer cases of cancer? A new study attempted to answer this question. Published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday (22), the research followed around 70,000 adults for five years and reported that consumers of products without added chemicals have 25% fewer cancers than people who do not eat these types of foods. foods.
However, this does not mean that organic consumption is solely responsible for the benefit. Researchers noticed that people who consume more organic foods are more aware of their own health and have other habits. Scientists agree that even with these results, it is still more important for people to eat more fruits and vegetables, regardless of whether the produce is organic or not, if they want to prevent cancer.
Although the study has a good number of volunteers, no other research confirms its results. “Although we intuitively believe that organic food can prevent cancer, other studies have not shown this association,” says Dr.Andrea Pereira, a clinical nutrition physician specializing in cancer at Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein. Scientists also analyzed the incidence of some specific types of cancer and showed that those who ate fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and other organic foods had a marked drop in the incidence of lymphomas and a significant reduction in postmenopausal breast cancer – most participants were women (78%) and, on average, were 44 years old. There were 76% fewer lymphomas, 86% fewer non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 34% fewer breast cancers that develop after menopause.
Those who eat better take better care of their health
For the survey, participants provided detailed information about how often they consumed 16 different types of organic foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, soy products, meat, fish, and eggs, as well as grains and legumes, bread and cereals, flour, oils and condiments, wine, coffee and teas, cookies, chocolate and sugar, and even dietary supplements.
In addition, volunteers provided information about their general health status, occupation, education, income, and other details such as smoking status. Not surprisingly, researchers concluded that people who eat organic foods tend to be more conscious of their health and can benefit from other healthy behaviors.
People who care about what they put on their plates also tend to have higher incomes and more years of education than those who don't eat organic. “This result only proves that perhaps the ‘villain’ of the study is not the pesticide but obesity,” says Felipe Ades, an oncologist at Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz.
“Those who eat organic, according to the study, also have other lifestyle factors that we already know are related to the reduction of cancer: they practice physical activity, eat less processed and smoked meats, are rich, educated, and thinner people. The study blamed organic food for the reduction in cancer, but we cannot say that it was responsible for this.”
According to Ades, 20% of cancer cases are related to obesity. “The most obese population is generally poorer and eats poorly. Instead of pointing the finger at pesticides, we have to point the finger at obesity and eating habits as a whole; perhaps the person needs to eat better to avoid both diseases. And the person who has money and knowledge uses these advantages to eat even better.”
The study authors state that, in conjunction with greater health concerns, one reason an organic diet may reduce the risk of breast cancer is that many pesticides are endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogenic function, and hormones play a causal role in breast cancer. As for lymphomas, the International Agency for Research on Cancer – a body of the WHO (World Health Organization) classified three pesticides commonly used in agriculture, glyphosate, malathion, and diazinon, as probable human carcinogens and linked the three to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
According to Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), all three are used in Brazil, but the agency is reevaluating glyphosate, and this toxicological analysis should be completed by 2019.
Pereira highlights, however, that “we know that pesticides in large quantities increase the risk of cancer, but this occurs mainly among people who work with these substances in agriculture. This has not been scientifically proven among consumers of products containing pesticides, probably because the quantities ingested are low in relation to the risk”, reflects the doctor.
“There is another relationship with healthy eating habits in themselves and not with pesticides. Breast cancer, which had the biggest reduction in the study, is precisely related to obesity”, reflects Ades.
The conclusion should not be taken literally
When we think about Brazil, organic products are still much more expensive than non-organic ones, although their production is cheaper. According to Dr.Andrea Pereira, this is because it is considered a class A and B product with a higher purchasing power. This also happens with fish, despite being a country full of rivers and an extensive coastline. “The price of fish is high because it is considered a class A and B product.”
We know that consuming fruits and vegetables on a regular basis prevents the risk of cancer, a disease that is also associated with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, high consumption of sugar and salt, as well as large amounts of red meat and sausages. “All of these factors can be prevented with a well-balanced diet and physical activity, and unfortunately, this does not depend on social class,” reflects the physician.
“I believe that the main thing is to carry out educational work with the entire population from childhood, explaining that healthy habits prevent various diseases. Good hygiene of fruits and vegetables is not expensive, so this is essential for those who cannot afford organic products. There are also options for creating small gardens in small spaces, so we will have our own organic plantation.”
Fonte: https://vivabem.uol.com.br