Study: Eating Organic Doesn’t Decrease Chance of Cancer

A study conducted by scientists at Oxford University just released results from a scientific study showing that eating organic food does not decrease your chances of getting cancer. 

The organization Cancer Research UK, which is a charity in the UK focusing on cancer research, used data from the Million Women Study, dubbed the biggest health research project in the UK, released their conclusions. The scientists asked 623,080 women aged 50 or over about their eating habits – organic or conventional – and then tracked the development of the 16 most common types of cancer over the course of 9 years.

The scientists found no difference in overall cancer risks between the 180,000 women that reportedly never ate organic food and the 45,000 women who said they usually or always eat organic food.

The overall conclusion is really simple – we don’t see any difference in the total risk of any type of cancer, depending on whether people said they choose organic food. It’s a very large study so the overall result is very robust.

Now, the research yielded a slight increase in breast cancer, but the scientists indicated that those results were inconclusive because the number were so small it was most likely chance.

The study out of the UK follows a 2012 study at Stanford which found that organic produce is not more nutritious than conventional produce.

The researchers thought the information was even more poignant, because many organic consumers indicate they purchase organic food because they believe it is healthier for them. Many also believe organic does not use pesticides, but that isn’t true either.

As previously reported, the American Cancer Society already does not encourage or promote organic food as a way to prevent cancer. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also stated that it does not believe feeding children organic food is necessary.

It feels like the excuses for buying organic food are dwindling.