Assessing the dietary profiles of adults with varying levels of organic food consumption

A study by scientists from various research institutes in France investigated the effects of organic food intake on the overall quality of a person’s diet. Their findings, which were published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, showed that adults who ate more organic foods exhibited better dietary profiles.

• An increasing number of people are choosing to purchase organic products since they are deemed healthier because of the absence of pesticides.
• Previous studies have shown that the heavy use of organic products leads to an overall healthier lifestyle compared to light users and non-users. However, there is limited information regarding the direct health benefits of organic food consumption with regards to dietary consumption patterns.
• In this study, the researchers determined the organic food intake of more than 28,000 adults through a food frequency questionnaire. From there, the participants were divided into five groups based on the proportion of organic foods in their diet.
• Diet quality of the participants was measured based on the adherence to food-based recommendations and the probability of getting sufficient dietary nutrients.
• Upon analyzing the data, the researchers observed that the people who ate more organic foods tended to adhere more closely to nutritional guidelines.
• An increase in organic food intake was associated with higher plant-based food consumption. Meanwhile, there was an inverse relationship between the intake of organic foods and those of dairy products, cookies, and soda.

Overall, these results prove that organic food consumption leads to better dietary profiles and better adherence to nutritional recommendations.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

Read more news articles on the benefits of going organic by visiting Organics.news.

Journal Reference:

Baudry J, Allès B, Péneau S, Touvier M, Méjean C, Hercberg S, Galan P, Lairon D, Kesse-Guyot E. DIETARY INTAKES AND DIET QUALITY ACCORDING TO LEVELS OF ORGANIC FOOD CONSUMPTION BY FRENCH ADULTS: CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS FROM THE NUTRINET-SANTÉ COHORT STUDY. Public Health Nutrition. 12 October 2016;20(04). DOI: 10.1017/s1368980016002718