By: Dr. Michael Morsillo, B.Sc., N.D.

Over the past several years, there’s been increasing demand, from consumers, for organic foods.  Despite the fact that there’s been relatively little research performed on the benefits of organic foods, there are many anecdotal reports of these benefits.  One such claim, is that regular consumption of organic produce can help reduce your body weight.  Some of my patients have tried this strategy and have reported some positive results.  However, there hasn’t been any research performed to examine if this relationship actually exists.  Interestingly, just last month, the British Journal of Nutrition published the results of a study that looked into this question.

The researchers analyzed data from over 62,000 participants, with an average age of 45.  They divided these participants into four groups, based on the amount of organic foods they consumed.  They compared these groups to see if there were any differences in weight/obesity. 

What they found was that the group that consumed the most organic foods actually had a lower BMI and lower risk of obesity, on average, when compared to the group with the lowest intake of organic foods.  This is quite interesting, as it’s the first time we’re seeing data to support the notion that organic foods help with weight loss. 

Some theories as to why organic foods might have this effect are (a) a lowered toxic burden within the body improves metabolism, (b) less endocrine-disrupting chemicals prevents hormonal imbalances that may lead to weight gain, (c) additional nutrient content from organic foods improves metabolic function. 

Keep in mind that we’re not 100% sure why this effect was observed, or that this effect directly resulted from organic food consumption.  For example, the group with the highest intake of organic foods may have also been a group with greater activity levels, disposable income, etc.  In any event, these results do look promising, and I would encourage everyone to try their best to buy more organic foods, if they can, or even try to grow some organic produce.    

Dr. Michael Morsillo, H.B.Sc., N.D.
Newmarket Naturopathic Clinic
905-898-1844 ext. 135
www.drmorsillo.com
dr.morsillo@gmail.com

Kesse-Guyot E, et al.  2017.  Prospective association between consumption frequency of organic food and body weight change, risk of overweight or obesity.  Br J Nutr 117(2):325-334.