Organically Grown Foods Higher In Cancer-fighting Chemicals Than
    Conventionally Grown Foods
    [03/04/2003; ScienceDaily]

Fruits and veggies grown organically show significantly higher 
levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than conventionally grown 
foods, according to a new study of corn, strawberries and marionberries. 
The research suggests that pesticides and herbicides actually thwart 
the production of phenolics -- chemicals that act as a plant's 
natural defense and also happen to be good for our health. 
Fertilizers, however, seem to boost the levels of anti-cancer compounds.

The findings appear in the Feb. 26 print edition of the Journal of 
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the 
American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. 
The article was initially published Jan. 25 on the journal's Web site.

Flavonoids are phenolic compounds that have potent antioxidant activity. 
Many are produced in plants in response to environmental stressors, 
such as insects or competing plants.

"If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to 
defend itself," says Alyson Mitchell, Ph.D., a food scientist at the 
University of California, Davis, and lead author of the paper. "Bitter 
or harsh phenolics guard the plant against these pests."

The need for these natural safeguards decreases with the use of 
herbicides and pesticides in conventional agriculture. This decrease 
is reflected in the total amount of antioxidants the plants produce. 
"This helps explain why the level of antioxidants is so much higher 
in organically grown food," Mitchell says. "By synthetically protecting 
the produce from these pests, we decrease their need to produce 
antioxidants. It suggests that maybe we are doing something to our 
food inadvertently." 

The full article can be found at:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030304073059.htm

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