September is Australian Organic Awareness Month, so this is a great opportunity to address the relationship between organic food and brain health.
The discussion about the benefits of organic versus conventionally grown produce is a complex one for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, people who consume organic produce generally have healthier lifestyles overall. Secondly, it is not possible to conduct ethical research studies in which humans are deliberately exposed to potentially dangerous pesticides.
However, there is research to suggest there may be very good reasons to choose organic over conventionally grown produce if brain health is a priority:
Organic plants contain more antioxidants:
In the absence of pesticides, plants need to boost their natural defence mechanisms against bugs.
These natural defence mechanisms are antioxidants, which are especially important for ongoing brain function and health.
The brain is the most energy-demanding organ we own and creates a vast quantity of free radicals during energy production.
Free radicals introduce damage to all our cells, including neurons, specialized brain cells that make up our central nervous system (CNS).
Antioxidants neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals in all our cells, including neurons, so having more of them available in the produce we eat enables the brain to better maintain optimum function.
Some research suggests that organic produce also contains higher concentrations of minerals, such as iron, magnesium and phosphorous. These minerals play important roles in many aspects of brain function, including the production of the messengers, neurotransmitters, that neurons use to communicate.
Organic plants don’t contain pesticides and pesticides accumulate in fat:
The dry weight of our brain comprises 60% fat. Pesticides can therefore lodge in our sensitive brain tissue and some research studies have linked pesticides to Parkinson’s disease.
The accumulation of toxic compounds in the brain has several negative consequences. There are two primary ways that pesticides impact brain function negatively:
• The aim of pesticides is to impair the hormonal, and therefore reproductive processes of insects that can destroy crops. This deters their activity on fresh produce but unfortunately causes similar negative effects in our hormonal systems.
Pesticides are also called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because of their negative, far-reaching effects on our hormonal system.
As hormones impact brain function, when they are negatively affected via pesticide consumption, brain function is compromised too.
• Pesticides interfere with neuronal communication in a variety of ways, including signal transmission. When neurons are unable to communicate effectively, a knock-on effect of cognitive dysfunction occurs.
Neuronal communication is central to all brain function, which includes mood management, attention, concentration, and focus, which all impact learning and memory.
Organic animal products don’t contain antibiotics or pesticides:
They are therefore grown using grass and natural foods versus conventional produce that contains toxic chemicals.
The use of antibiotics in conventionally grown animals is linked to antibiotic resistance in people. Antibiotic use is associated with altered gut microbiota, which is linked to brain dysfunction via the gut-brain connection.
Due to biomagnification, which is the concentration of toxins, such as pesticides, at successively higher levels up the food chain, humans accumulate the toxins that start from the ground up.
Therefore, meat from conventionally grown animals contains more toxins, including pesticides, than conventionally grown plants because animals are higher up the food chain.
Humans, being at the top of the food chain acquire the highest concentration of all toxins.
As pesticides accumulate in fat, and with the high concentration of fat in the brain, pesticides that accumulate in brain tissue can impact function directly.
Indeed, pesticides have been linked to Parkinson’s disease, which is a degenerative and progressive CNS disease that impacts the control and movement of the body, via the loss of neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Naturally, whether pesticides are consumed via plants or animal products, their effects are identical, although due to biomagnification, the concentration of pesticides is greater in animal products.
Studies have linked pesticide exposure during childhood to adverse cognitive development among children.
Keep in mind that the current limits attached to pesticide residue on foods are based on testing the effects of single compounds on animals.
It is unethical to examine the effects of a combination of such toxic compounds on the human brain, although epidemiological studies suggest their cumulative effects are negative and pervasive.
Observational studies have linked chemical farming to an increased risk of childhood brain tumors too.
Chemical fertilizers may also result in crops with less nutritional value:
Although fertilizers spur growth via nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK), essential nutrients such as calcium, iron and zinc may be less available.
Babies exposed to formula made with nitrogen contaminated water can develop a fatal condition whereby their bodies cannot effectively circulate oxygen and they turn blue. Studies examining the effects on adults of consuming nitrogen-contaminated water also suggest that it has negative long reaching effects.
So, What To Do?
Look for the local farmers markets in your area. Many of those farmers use less pesticides and are working towards organic status.
The produce is often fresher than what you find in the supermarket. It's also great to meet the people who grow your food. This is the organic farmers market I visit each Sunday.
If you can't access your local markets immerse your fresh produce in a combination of water and vinegar, in a ratio of 3 or 4 to 1, respectively.
Leave the produce for a few minutes to soak off the surface pesticides and then rinse again thoroughly.
Grow some herbs, baby tomatoes and small lettuces in your own garden, or in pots on your windowsill or balcony. Children love growing food so if you have children or grandchildren, get them involved.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about balcony and small garden growing activities. Keep in mind that there are many creative ways to use space, as these examples illustrate.
Conclusion
The higher cost of organic produce is a common criticism against its purchase. However, the long-term costs of pesticide consumption are likely to be higher and more long-reaching than the higher cost attached to seeking and consuming produce grown without toxins.
Furthermore, there is an environmental cost to pesticide use and other toxic compounds used to grow produce conventionally. The environmental consequences also impact human health via other mechanisms.
References
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Mie A., Andersen, H. R., Gunnarsson, S., Kahl, J., Kesse-Guyot, E., Rembiałkowska, E., . . . Grandjean, P. (2017). Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review. Environmental health: a global access science source, 16(1), 111-111.
McCabe, D. (2016). Feed Your Brain. 7 Steps to a Lighter, Brighter You! Sydney, Australia: Exisle.
McCabe, D. (2018). Feed Your Brain: The Cookbook. Recipes to Support a Lighter, Brighter You! Sydney, Australia: Exisle.
Tanner, C.M., et al. (2011). Rotenone, Paraquat, and Parkinson’s Disease. Environmental Health Perspectives, (116) 6.
Ward, M. H., et al. (2018). Drinking Water Nitrate and Human Health: An Updated Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(7), 1557.
https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2017/12/07/The-Hidden-Dangers-of-Chemical-Fertilizers.aspx?Page=3
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/10/04/nitrate-drinking-water/
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180523133158.htm
https://www.treehugger.com/tips-tricks-windowsill-growers-5119375