Hooray for the Big O

It’s gorgeous, it’s tasty, and it’s politically correct—so naturally, most of us assume that organic produce is healthier, too. But research on the subject has been surprisingly sparse. Now a new Danish study adds credence to the notion: Rats that chowed down on organic fruits and veggies had stronger immune systems and less body fat than rats who ate conventional produce.

In the study, 36 rodents were fed a diet of produce for 25 weeks. Some of the food was cultivated organically; some was grown with little fertilizer and standard pesticide levels; and some had standard levels of both. Blood tests showed the organically fed rats had higher levels of vitamin E and immunoglobulin G, an antibody that attacks pathogens and neutralizes toxins. And though they were fed the same amount of food, the organic rats weighed less and had less body fat.

The researchers suspect that the organic diet may have improved the rats’ utilization of vitamin E, or perhaps lessened their need for the vitamin’s free-radical-fighting power. Another theory: A naturally occurring compound called falcarindiol, more abundant in conventional produce, might inhibit the immune response. No one knows exactly why going organic helped with weight loss.

The researchers call for more study with humans, but there’s certainly no reason to wait to choose organic. Of course, you’ve known along it was better, didn’t you?

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