NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Organic produce and meat typically
isn't any better for you than conventional varieties when it
comes to vitamin and nutrient content, according to a new review
of the evidence. But organic options may live up to their
billing of lowering exposure to pesticide residue and
antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers from Stanford
University and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System
found. "People choose to buy organic foods for many different
reasons. One of them is perceived health benefits," said Dr.
Crystal Smith-Spangler, who led the new study. "Our patients,
our families ask about, ‘Well, are there health reasons to
choose organic food in terms of nutritional content or human
health outcomes?'" To try to answer that question, she and her
colleagues reviewed over 200 studies that compared either the
health of people who ate organic or conventional foods or, more
commonly, nutrient and contaminant levels in the foods
themselves. Those included organic and non-organic f