Organics enlisted in the fight against Alzheimer’s

Organic food production and processing has gained more evidence of its health benefits further to the release of research findings that link nitrate intake through foods to increased deaths from such diseases as diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. A new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital has found a substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food. The study found that the period between 1960 and 1980, when nitrogen-containing fertiliser use in the USA doubled, immediately preceded an epidemic of insulin-resistant diseases. Nitrogen fertilizer consumption has since increased by 230 % between 1955 and 2005. One of the world’s leading Alzheimer’s researchers, Professor Suzanne de la Monte, has  warned of the dangers of becoming an ‘nitrosamine generation,’ with mounting exposure to the dangerous compounds through increasing use of processed and preserved foods and the abundant application of nitrate-containing fertilizers for agriculture.
 

Holly Vyner, BFA General Manager, says certified organic food is currently one of the only alternatives to consumers as a means of avoiding consumption of nitrogenous compounds. “Nitrogenous compounds are commonly added to non- organic processed foods such bacon and cured meats, as well as some cheese products and beers, but are banned from use in organic equivalents. Nitrites and nitrates can also be found in water, as a result of chemical run-off from non-organic farming practices which means that the whole population is exposed to some degree.” Shane Heaton, nutritionist spokesperson and researcher for the BFA, says that these findings are a just one more attestation of the fact that organic food has health advantages over non-organic, among other benefits including environmental, animal welfare and restoring arable lands. More information on the research is available here

BFA