Organic diet protects children from neurological ills

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Organic diet protects children from neurological ills

Laurie Budgar

 

9/7/2005 3:24:31 PM

 

Children who eat an organic diet are protected from exposure to at

least two of the most common agricultural pesticides, according to a

report published last week.

 

In a study conducted in 2003, a group of 23 children aged 3-11 ate

their normal diets for the first three days. During the next five

days, they ate organic replacements of the fresh fruit and vegetables,

juices, processed foods and corn-based foods in their usual diet. In

the final week of the study, the children resumed their conventional

diets. Researchers examined the children " s daily urine output and

found that all 23 had metabolites of malathion and chlorpyrifos when

they enrolled in the study. However, as soon as they switched to

organic diets, these metabolites were not detectable in their urine,

and remained at zero levels until conventional foods were

reintroduced.

 

" We were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic

and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus

pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production, " the

authors wrote in their report, published Sept. 1 in the National

Institutes of Health " s online version of Environmental Health

Perspectives. " Although we did not collect health outcome data in this

study, it is intuitive to assume that children whose diets consist of

organic food items would have a lower probability of neurological

health risks. "

 

According to the report, OP pesticides cause neurological effects in

animals and humans. But, if they " re eliminated from the body so

quickly after beginning an organic diet, how dangerous are the

pesticides in food? " We do not know whether the relatively short

biological half-lives for the organophosphorous pesticides in the

human body would actually cause less toxicity than other groups of

pesticides with longer half-lives, " said Chensheng " Alex " Lu, the lead

researcher. " The chronic toxicity due to persistent lower-level

exposure to OP pesticides is relatively unknown and not well studied

yet, " Lu said. " Some recent studies have suggested that pesticide

exposure may act as the precursor to some neurological diseases, such

as Parkinsonism, [where] the clinical symptoms would only show up in

later life. "

 

Chlorpyrifos was used extensively in residential termite-control

products and pet flea collars until such applications were banned in

late 2001. It continues to be widely used in corn, apple, orange,

almond and walnut crops.

 

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webmd.com/content/article/112/110568?src=RSS_PPaBLIC

 

Organic Diet Cuts Kids' Food Pesticide Levels

 

Results Seen in Small Study's Before-and-After Organic Diet Makeover

 

Sept. 30, 2005 -- Eating an organic diet reduces kids' exposure to

pesticides from foods, new research shows. The effect was " dramatic

and immediate, " write Chensheng " Alex " Lu, PhD, MS, and colleagues. Lu

is an assistant professor in the environmental and occupational health

department of Emory Paniversity's Rollins School of Public Health in

Atlanta.

 

Lu's team studied malathion and chlorpyrifos, two pesticides commonly

used in conventional agricultural production. Organic foods aren't

treated with any synthetic pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural

sources (e.g. biological pesticides) may be used in producing

organically grown food, says the EPA.

 

The study, which was funded by the Pa.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), recently appeared in the online edition of Environmental

Health Perspectives.

 

Strict Standards for Safety

 

Pesticides are strong chemicals. According to the EPA web site, " By

their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm.

Pesticides can cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment

because they are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living

organisms. At the same time, pesticides are useful to society.

Pesticides can kill potential disease-causing organisms and control

insects, weeds, and other pests. "

 

Direct exposure to the type of pesticides studied by Lu can

overstimulate the nervous system, causing nausea, dizziness, and

confusion. Very high exposures (such as accidents or major spills),

can paralyze breathing or even be fatal, states the EPA's web site.

 

But foods treated with malathion and chlorpyrifos are safe to eat,

according to the EPA.

 

The EPA has strict rules about pesticide use. Limits include the

amount of pesticides that can be used in growing and processing foods

and the amount of pesticide residue on foods people buy.

 

" Most importantly, each of these decisions must protect infants and

children, whose developing bodies may be especially sensitive to

pesticide exposure, " states the EPA's web site.

 

According to the EPA web site, children are at a greater risk for some

pesticides for a number of reasons. Children's internal organs are

still developing and maturing, and their enzymatic, metabolic, and

immune systems may provide less natural protection than those of an

adult. There are " critical periods " in human development when exposure

to a toxin can permanently alter the way an individual's biological

system operates. Children may be exposed more to certain pesticides

because often they eat different foods than adults.

 

For instance, children typically consume larger quantities of milk,

applesauce, and orange juice per pound of body weight than do adults.

Children's behaviors, such as playing on the floor or on the lawn

where pesticides are commonly applied, or putting objects in their

mouths, increase their chances of exposure to pesticides.