Eating Green
Now Even More Reasons...
06-01-2003
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Laura Tangley
NOW there’s another reason to go organic. According to a new study, fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides produce higher levels of the cancer-fighting antioxidants called phenolics than do conventionally grown crops. The finding makes sense, says Alyson Mitchell, a food scientist at the University of California–Davis and the study’s lead researcher: "If an aphid is nibbling on a leaf, the plant produces phenolics to defend itself. By protecting the produce from these pests, we decrease their need to produce antioxidants."