Pesticides Can Do More Than Ward Off Insects

Studies have shown that some organic foods can be higher in vitamin and mineral value, but that is only part of the picture. Studies have also shown the majority of organic foods are much lower in pesticides, with up to 70% of conventionally grown produce containing up to 230 different pesticides.

Pesticide use has skyrocketed over the past 50 years, with over 18,000 of them being licensed for use within the USA; conventional factory farms can dump up to 2 billion pounds of pesticides over crops every year. Over time ingested pesticides can make you sick, and may even be putting you at risk for diseases.

These pesticides may have lasting effects on the nervous system, and there is growing evidence of connections between them and Alzheimer’s disease. Proper brain function relies on getting the right amount of acetycholine; too little synapes don’t fire, too much can cause a logjam.

Pesticides can interfere with the way acetylcholine is released in the brain, lifelong exposure could have lasting effects that contribute to AD. Not only are farm workers at risk, long term low dose exposure could also contribute to dementia as well according to some experts and a large meta-analysis study published in the journal Scientific Reports that confirmed the connection overwhelmingly finding evidence of pesticides increasing the risk of AD.

Pesticides have also been linked to some cancers as well such as lung, breast, pancreatic, brain, prostate, stomach, kidney, leukemia, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. A long term study showed those who ate the most organic foods had a 25% lower risk of cancer across the board; with a 76% lower risk of lymphoma, and 34% lower risk of breast cancer.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are known to help reduce the risk of diabetes, but pesticides are suggested to be sabotaging these efforts, particularly organophosphates which are associated with obesity that often goes hand and hand with diabetes.

Pesticides exposure in a study using a variety of different kinds was found to increase the risks of developing diabetes, with the connection even showing up in those with no family history of the disease. Other findings from a separate large media review found that pesticides could increase risk of type 3 diabetes by 60%.

It has been long suspected that pesticides might be linked to increased risk for Parkinson’s disease, with the risks being higher for those working in the factories and farms, but new research suggests that low level exposure is also a major risk factor.

Exposure to maneb and parquat which are commonly used in conventional agriculture, could use increase risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 250%. Another separate study has found a significant link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease in those with a family history of the disease.

Whether the produce is organic or conventionally grown it is very important to wash produce thoroughly to remove a much pesticide, residues, dirt, and possible contamination from it before use, as almost no food is 100% free of pesticides. Do not use any soaps or detergents, for best results use a vegetable brush to help wash away hard to remove microbes to really get in those nooks and crannies, it may even be of benefit to let some soak for a minute or two in a cold clean water bath.

While it may be true that buying organic is more expensive, the true potential cost of conventional produce that contains more pesticides makes that cost worth it when you consider that it is your health at risk.