Organic Vs Organic Food

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It is a large and broad question which is seemingly continuously posed: what is organic food, and is it “better” for you than other food? While for many the obvious choice appears to be organic food, there are many more who believe non-organic food is just as good or even better for consumption. There are many research papers, studies, and journals that have been published which come to support of both sides of the argument. As there is no conclusive answer, further research is still necessary. Before discussing the differences between organic and non-organic food, it must be determined what exactly makes food organic. Organic agriculture consists of many practices that emphasize farming based on ecosystem management, integrated cropping …show more content…

While there are hundreds of different health issues related to the intake or exposure to pesticides, three commonly linked ones are endocrine disruption, reproductive effects/defects (such as neurological developments) and incidences of cancer (Cimino, A.). Returning to the example of atrazine, there have been studies done which have found possible links of atrazine to all of the above mentioned health issues. It was found that in rats and frogs, “Atrazine acts as an endocrine disrupter by inhibiting cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase-4” (Kucka, M.). CAMP-specific phosphodiesterase-4 is an enzyme within the gene code which when activated can act as a “stopper” (Kucka, M.) of endocrine production. In regards to reproductive effects/defects, numerous studies have found that Neonicotinoids can pose serious health problems to all mammals. “Neonicotinoids (neonics) are a class …show more content…

A short and concise answer would be yes. Consuming food which has been sprayed by pesticides is a large area of concern, as the intake of pesticides could lead to multiple health issues from simple colds to breast cancer. Another factor to take into c,onsideration is the possible chance of added nutrients in organic food. A study found that “switching to organic fruit and vegetables could give the same benefits as adding one or two portions of the recommended "five a day".” (Barański, M.). The reason for that is the seemingly higher amount of nutrients in the organic fruit, such as antioxidants and