Plain language summary
Cancer has several risk factors for its development including the presence of pesticides in the environment. Organic foods arguably have less pesticides than conventionally grown produce and the consumption of these should therefore lower an individuals chance of developing cancer. However, very few studies exist looking at this association. This observational study of 68946 individuals aimed to determine the association between organic food intake and cancer risk. The results showed that the most prevalent cancers were breast, prostate and skin cancer and an increased consumption of organic food, lowered the risk for the development of cancer. It was concluded that a higher intake of organic foods could reduce the risk of developing cancer, however further studies are warranted to investigate initial findings. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand that a diet rich in organic food could be of benefit for the prevention of cancer, however further studies are required before firm recommendations can be made.
Abstract
Importance: Although organic foods are less likely to contain pesticide residues than conventional foods, few studies have examined the association of organic food consumption with cancer risk. Objective: To prospectively investigate the association between organic food consumption and the risk of cancer in a large cohort of French adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this population-based prospective cohort study among French adult volunteers, data were included from participants with available information on organic food consumption frequency and dietary intake. For 16 products, participants reported their consumption frequency of labeled organic foods (never, occasionally, or most of the time). An organic food score was then computed (range, 0-32 points). The follow-up dates were May 10, 2009, to November 30, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: This study estimated the risk of cancer in association with the organic food score (modeled as quartiles) using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for potential cancer risk factors. Results: Among 68 946 participants (78.0% female; mean [SD] age at baseline, 44.2 [14.5] years), 1340 first incident cancer cases were identified during follow-up, with the most prevalent being 459 breast cancers, 180 prostate cancers, 135 skin cancers, 99 colorectal cancers, 47 non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 15 other lymphomas. High organic food scores were inversely associated with the overall risk of cancer (hazard ratio for quartile 4 vs quartile 1, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.88; P for trend = .001; absolute risk reduction, 0.6%; hazard ratio for a 5-point increase, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96). Conclusions and Relevance: A higher frequency of organic food consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. If these findings are confirmed, further research is necessary to determine the underlying factors involved in this association.
Methodological quality
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