Organic tomatoes - better for your heart?

Having carried out organic farming research for three years prior to joining CABI, my attention is always grabbed by comparisons between organic and 'conventional' agriculture. The size of the organic food market continues to grow (the global organic food and drink market was projected to generate revenues of US$40 bn in 2006, according to British consultancy Organic Monitor), but the question of whether or not organic food is actually healthier for the consumer is one that continues to be controversial.

A ten-year study on organic tomatoes published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which finds that organic tomatoes have almost double the level of flavonoids, has received widespread publicity this week, and will be used by the proponents of organic farming to support their argument for the health benefits of this type of agriculture. But Lord Krebs, former chairman of the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) and long-standing organic sceptic, is not convinced, and a review published in the latest issue of the Nutrition Bulletin (Is organic food better for our health? Nutrition Bulletin 32 (2), 104–108) by Claire Williamson from the British Nutrition Foundation concludes that there is currently not enough evidence to recommend organic over conventionally produced foods.

The study on tomatoes (see here for the abstract) by Dr Alyson Mitchell from the University of California and collegues measured the amount of two flavonoids - quercetin and kaempferol - in dried tomato samples that had been collected as part of a long-term study on agricultural methods. They found that on average they were 79% and 97% higher respectively in the organic tomatoes than in the conventionally grown fruit - probably due to lower levels of nitrogen available to plants in the organic system, as flavonoids are produced as a defence mechanism that can be triggered by nutrient deficiency.

There is some evidence that flavonoids can help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and they have also been linked with reduced rates of some types of cancer and dementia.

But the evidence for health benefits from flavonoids is conflicting, and John Krebs says that even if there are benefits, higher flavonoid levels do not necessarily make organic food healthier. "This depends on the relevance of the differences to the human body," he says in New Scientist magazine. "Tomato ketchup has higher levels of lycopene than either organic or conventional tomatoes. So if you wanted lots of lycopene you should eat ketchup."

Each claim of health benefits from organic food brings a robust response from the critics. A number of studies (e.g. Ellis KA, Innocent G, Grove-White D et al. (2006) Comparing the fatty acid composition of organic and conventional milk. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 1938–50) have found that organic milk has a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids in the organically produced milk, particularly the n-3 fatty acid ALNA (which is considered beneficial). But the FSA responded that the short-chain fatty acids found in milk do not have the same benefits as given by long-chain omega-3 oils found in oily fish, and Dr Anne Nugent of the British Nutrition Foundation said that " even if regular milk is slightly lower in these nutrients than organic milk, chances are you will be already be meeting your dietary needs for these nutrients by consuming other foods."

Whether in claims for food quality or benefits for the environment, it seems to be a common theme that comparisons between organic and 'conventional' agriculture (which of course covers a multitude of different farming practices) only ignite disagreement rather than lead to a consensus. Leading organic farming figures such as Lord Melchett of the Soil Association, who quickly welcomed the research by Alyson Mitchell and collegues, are always looking for evidence to boost the form of farming they support, while figures from the mainstream food and agriculture industries are keen to ensure that conventional produce is not regarded as inferior. Subscribers to CAB Abstracts (or to the internet sites nutritionandfoodsciences.org, or organic-research.com) can look at the research for themselves. Searching on the Cabicode QQ500 (food composition and quality) combined with the Subject Term 'organic foods' on nutritionandfoodsciences.org currently finds 195 bibliographic records, which can be narrowed down by adding the compound or product that interests you to the search string.

Comments

[Tim Lester]

It is great to finally get a organic study with some decent results. I have heaps of videos on organic food at http://www.nuganics.com.au but they havn't in the pasted looked at the nutritional value of organics as close as they should have.
Kind Regards
Tim Lester
http://www.nuganics.com.au

[Colon Cleanse Geek]

Great info. on the organic tomato. Its tough to educate the consumer as to what is best organic vs regular until better standards are formed with in the industry.

[TomatoGrowingSecrets]

Here's a little bit more that I have found out about tomatoes. They not only taste great but are very good for you.
There are many health benefits from eating natural grown tomatoes. They contain compounds which are proven to help prevent heart disease, cancer, and cataracts just to name a few.
Tomatoes contain large quantities of Vitamin C providing up to 40% of the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake), up to 20% RDI for Vitamin A, 8% RDI of Potassium, and between 7 – 10 % RDI of Iron.
The red colouring of the tomato is called Lycopene. It is a type of carotenoid anti-oxidant that has been found to contain up to twice the punch of more well known anti-oxidant beta-carotene. Lycopene has been found to offer some protection against a growing list of cancers which include prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in woman, pancreatic, endometrial and lung cancer.
Recent research is beginning to show that 2 other compounds found in tomatoes may help to fight lung cancer as well. Coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid are thought to be able to block the effects of nitrosamines which are the strongest carcinogenic found in cigarette smoke. By blocking the effects of nitrosamines the chances of developing lung cancer are significantly reduced.
What tomatoes contain the most Lycopene? This is easy. Choose the most brilliant red, natural home grown chemical free or organic tomatoes. These contain up to 3 times the amounts of these cancer – fighting carotenoids, and even more are released through cooking them with some olive oil. Also, when the tomatoes have been cooked in some olive oil, your body absorbs the Lycopene much better.

[Trader Joe Guy]

Steakhouse tomatoes serve similar purpose

[lord]

tomatoes are good for our heart.

[Jim Reeves]

As per knowledge Organic products are much pricier than regular produce because no artificial additives and less chemicals are used in their processing.However I gained a lot of information out of your research.Thank you

[At Home Colon Cleanse]

This is a great article and is very informative. Tomatoes have a lot of use and it is the most common ingredients in most of our meals. So every time you eat a tomato don't forget to thank it for all the goodness it brings to our health and body. ;)