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A new study suggests that regular consumption of organic food may decrease one’s risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Researchers from France studied how eating organic food affects the risk of cancer. Organic food refers to products that are produced without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
The 68,946 French participants of the study answered questionnaires on the frequency of their organic food intake. They also had two appointments with the researchers—one in 2009 and another in 2016, where the researchers noted the participants’ cancer diagnoses. Apart from breast cancer, other cancer types observed were skin cancer and non-Hodgkin [HODJ-kin] lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that affects white blood cells.
Findings showed that those who habitually ate organic food were 25% less prone to cancer than those who did not. In addition, organic food eaters had 73% less likelihood to have NHL and 21% to have breast cancer.
However, the study’s lead author stressed that the study does not claim that eating organic food prevents cancer. Instead, doing so only reduces cancer risk.
In response to the study, physician Dale Shepard agreed that eating organic food may lessen cancer risk. However, he expressed reservation, saying that the direct correlation between organic food intake and cancer risk remains ambiguous.
Because of the unclear association, Shepard suggested other ways to prevent cancer such as getting screened for diseases and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. He also said that eating healthy food, whether organic or not, may help decrease the risk of all cancer types.