Eating organic foods has been linked to a lower cancer risk

Organic foods have been linked to a lower risk of cancer, according to a team of researchers from several French institutions including the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, and Universit é Paris 13.

The study questioned 69,000 people on their consumption of organic food, and then monitored them for five years to see how many developed cancer.

Organic food is grown with no use of pesticides, fertilisers or GM. While organic meat, eggs and dairy come from animals that are kept away form no antibiotics or growth hormones.

Researchers found that people who ate the most organic food had a 24% reduced risk of cancer compared to those who ate the least. This included a particularly steep drop in the incidence of lymphomas, and a significant reduction in postmenopausal breast cancers.

Unfortunately, this study does not prove that eating organic food will protect you against cancer. The researchers tried to adjust for the fact that those who eat organic often lead healthier lifestyles when it comes to further aspects such as alcohol consumption and exercise, but it's still possible these things had an influence.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine.