Reduce the level of pesticides in the body in just one week? Impossible according to you? However, a study conducted by researchers at RMIT University in Australia and published in the journal Environmental Research says so. A diet consisting primarily (but not exclusively) of organic foods can reduce pesticide levels in the body by 90%.
Lead researcher Dr. Liza Oates said, "Our results show that people who switch to mostly organic food in just one week can significantly reduce their exposure to pesticides. This shows that organic food has a key role to play in reducing pesticide exposure. "
NEUROTOXIN EXPOSURE DROPS
Many studies have investigated the effect of organic food on the level of pesticides in children. The specificity of this new study is that it is the first to publish on the same phenomenon in adults. The researchers asked 13 randomly selected adults to eat either a diet consisting of at least 80% organic food or a diet consisting of at least 80% "conventional" food. The latter consisted of food produced with pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified organisms. After seven days, all participants changed their diet for another week. Urine samples were collected the day after the end of each diet reversal.
"Pesticide exposure in Australian adults is primarily through their diet. But there are other sources of exposure, so we wanted to know what difference an organic diet could make," said Dr. Oates.
Participants' urine was tested for six different chemicals known as dialkylphosphates (DAP), which are produced when the body attempts to digest organophosphate pesticides.
"Conventional food production commonly uses organophosphate pesticides, which are neurotoxins that act on the nervous system of insects - and humans - by blocking an important enzyme," Dr. Oates said.
Recent studies have raised concerns for the health effects of these chemicals, even at relatively low levels.
The researchers found that participants' urine DAP levels were 89 percent lower after one week on an organic diet, compared to one week on a mostly conventional diet.
"This study is an important first step in our understanding of the impact of an organic diet," said Oates. The researchers are currently working on a more comprehensive study.
Other ways to reduce pesticide exposure:
Eating organic food well can be expensive; there are other ways to reduce your exposure to agricultural toxins. Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list ranking fruits and vegetables with the amount of pesticide residues they contain, using data from studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to EWG, by avoiding any of the classic "Dirty Dozen List" (12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables) and selecting from the "Clean Fifteen" list (15 least contaminated), pesticide exposure can be reduced by 80 percent.
You can also significantly reduce your exposure to toxins by eating a mostly vegetarian diet, especially if you also eat most organic foods or avoid the "Dirty Dozen. According to a 2010 study, people living in a Buddhist temple for five days and adopting the monks' lifestyle (including a meatless diet) experienced a dramatic drop in traces of two antibiotics and phthalates in their urine.
Phthalates are common ingredients in pesticides, as well as in many soft plastics. They have been shown to be endocrine disruptors and can cause disruptions to the reproductive, nervous and other systems. Antibiotics are widely used in animal agriculture as growth promoters.
Notably, participants who ate the most beef, pork, and dairy products before the study began began the temple stay with significantly higher levels of phthalates in their urine compared to participants who ate less of these foods.