Don’t stress about eating organic.

The Truth About Pesticides and Mortality

Are you wondering if eating organic fruits and vegetables will make you live longer than nonorganic foods? Let’s take a look at the science.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables Lowers Mortality

Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables can lower all-cause mortality and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This has been scientifically proven long before organic produce became popular.

Organic Produce and Pesticides

Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without commonly used pesticides, but they may still contain some at a much lower frequency than conventional produce. However, there is no evidence that the amount of pesticides in conventionally grown produce harms humans. Toxicologically based risk assessments show that the amounts present are well below worrisome levels, and pesticide levels are rarely detected at a level that would be of health concern.

Organic vs. Nonorganic

Studies comparing organic vs. nonorganic fruits and vegetables have largely failed to find significant differences between the evaluated endpoints, although they’ve all been relatively short-term. Some fruits and veggies may contain higher levels of certain phytochemicals if organically grown, but those studies aren’t consistent. More importantly, no good evidence exists that it translates to superior health effects.

High vs. Low Pesticide Residue and Mortality

A recent study attempted to evaluate associations between high and low pesticide consumption and all-cause mortality. The study found that the fruits and veggies frequently associated with having higher pesticide residues failed to produce the typically seen reduction in all-cause mortality risk seen with produce consumption after adjusting for other variables. Conversely, consumption of fruits and vegetables frequently associated with having lower pesticide residues did, in fact, have an inverse relationship with all-cause mortality.

How to Use This Info

Eat your fruits and vegetables! It lowers all-cause mortality, and it doesn’t matter if it’s organic or not. If you can afford it and prefer organic produce, go for it, but don’t worry about eating only certain fruits and vegetables; enjoy a variety.

• Run fresh produce under the faucet before eating it.
• Don’t sweat whether it’s organic.
• Don’t be the person asking if grandma’s fruit salad is organic.

References:

1. Benbrook CM et al. “Perspective on Dietary Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Organic Food.” Sustainability. 2014;6(6):3552-3570.
2. Winter CK et al. “Organic foods.” Journal of food science. 2006 Nov;71(9):R117-24.
3. Jara EA et al. “Safety levels for organophosphate pesticide residues on fruits, vegetables, and nuts.” International Journal of Food Contamination. 2019;6(6).
4. Winter CK et al.” Dietary exposure to pesticide residues from commodities alleged to contain the highest contamination levels.” J Toxicol. 2011;2011:589674. doi: 10.1155/2011/589674. Epub 2011 May 15. PMID: 21776262; PMCID: PMC3135239.
5. Briviba K et al. “Effect of consumption of organically and conventionally produced apples on antioxidant activity and DNA damage in humans.” J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Sep 19;55(19):7716-21. doi: 10.1021/jf0710534. Epub 2007 Aug 16. PMID: 17696483.
6. Vigar V et al. “A Systematic Review of Organic Versus Conventional Food Consumption: Is There a Measurable Benefit on Human Health?” Nutrients. 2019 Dec 18;12(1):7. doi: 10.3390/nu12010007. PMID: 31861431; PMCID: PMC7019963.
7. Rempelos L et al. “Diet, but not food type, significantly affects micronutrient and toxic metal profiles in urine and/or plasma; a randomized, controlled intervention trial.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Aug 30;116(5):1278–90. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac233. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36041176; PMCID: PMC9630859.
8. Hoefkens C et al. “The nutritional and toxicological value of organic vegetables: Consumer perception versus scientific evidence.” British Food Journal. 2009;111(10):1062-1077.
9. Smith-Spangler C et al. “Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives?: a systematic review.” Ann Intern Med. 2012 Sep 4;157(5):348-66. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00007. Erratum in: Ann Intern Med. 2012 Nov 6;157(9):680. Erratum in: Ann Intern Med. 2012 Oct 2;157(7):532. PMID: 22944875.
10. Sandoval-Insausti H et al. “Intake of fruits and vegetables according to pesticide residue status in relation to all-cause and disease-specific mortality: Results from three prospective cohort studies.” Environ Int. 2022 Jan 15;159:107024. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107024. Epub 2021 Dec 8. PMID: 34894487; PMCID: PMC8771456.
11. Ivey KL et al. “Association of flavonoid-rich foods and flavonoids with risk of all-cause mortality.” Br J Nutr. 2017 May;117(10):1470-1477. doi: 10.1017/S0007114517001325. Epub 2017 Jun 13. PMID: 28606222; PMCID: PMC7233415.
12. Li N et al. “Green leafy vegetable and lutein intake and multiple health outcomes.” Food Chem. 2021 Oct 30;360:130145. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130145. Epub 2021 May 18. PMID: 34034049.