Eating organic food may not reduce the risk of cancer, a new study claims.
According to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, women who eat regular or mostly organic foods are less likely to get cancer than those who eat more conventional foods.
Scientists at the University of Oxford Cancer Research UK have found no evidence that eating a regular pesticide-free diet reduces a woman’s overall risk of cancer.
The researchers asked about 600,000 women aged 50 and over, who were part of a project called the Million Women Study, whether they ate organic food and tracked the development of 16 of the most common types of cancer over the next nine years. Survey.
About 50,000 women have been diagnosed with cancer during this period.
The scientists’ analysis found no difference in overall cancer risk when comparing 180,000 women who had never eaten organic food with about 45,000 women who reported eating normally or always organic food.
While looking at the results of 16 distinct types of cancer, they found a small increase in breast cancer risk but a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in women who ate the most organic foods, although these results may be partly due to chance and other reasons. Because
“In this large study of middle-aged women in the UK, we found no evidence that eating a normal organic diet reduces a woman’s overall risk of cancer,” said Professor Tim Key, an Oxford University-based cancer research UK epidemiologist. One of the authors of the study.
“More research is needed to follow our results of a potential reduction in the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” Key said.
“This study adds evidence that eating organically grown foods does not reduce your overall cancer risk. But if you are concerned about pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables, it is best to wash them before eating,” said Dr Claire, health information manager at Cancer Research UK. Knight.
“Scientists estimate that more than nine per cent of cancers in the UK may be linked to dietary factors, with around five per cent associated with not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
“So eating a balanced diet that includes more fruits and vegetables – traditionally large or not – can help reduce your risk of cancer,” Knight said.
