Posted by -Beyond Health on Nov 3rd 2025

Are Organics Worth the Price? YES! Discover the Truth

Organic Food: More Nutrition, Fewer Toxins

An international team of researchers—including the renowned Charles Benbrook of Washington State University—reviewed 343 peer-reviewed studies comparing organically grown foods with conventionally grown produce.

Their conclusions were clear and compelling.

1. Organic Food Is More Nutritious

Organic crops contained significantly higher levels of antioxidant polyphenols, compounds strongly linked to reduced risk of chronic disease, including:

Cardiovascular disease
Neurodegenerative disorders
Certain cancers

Polyphenols play a critical role in reducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation—two foundational drivers of modern disease.

2. Organic Produce Is Safer

The analysis also found that conventionally grown crops were:

4 times more likely to contain pesticide residues
Significantly higher in cadmium, a toxic heavy metal

When interviewed, Benbrook noted that the quality and rigor of organic–conventional comparison studies has improved dramatically in recent years, allowing researchers to detect nutritional and safety differences that earlier studies missed.

Pesticides: A Widespread and Underestimated Risk

In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported detecting pesticides in every one of the more than 9,000 Americans tested.

The average individual carried 13 different pesticides, often at levels that exceeded what regulators consider “acceptable.”

Many commonly used pesticides are now known to be:

Endocrine disruptors, linked to fertility problems, fetal development issues, thyroid disease, and hormone-related cancers
Carcinogens, associated with weakened immunity
Neurotoxic, with links to diseases such as Parkinson’s

Cadmium: The Heavy Metal You’re Probably Carrying

Cadmium contamination is another major concern in conventional agriculture.

Phosphate fertilizers and sewage sludge—commonly used in conventional farming—are heavily contaminated with cadmium
Crops absorb cadmium from soil and water, transferring it directly into the food supply
Tobacco plants absorb cadmium aggressively, making smoking another major source of exposure

Cadmium bioaccumulates over time, meaning the body has difficulty eliminating it once exposure occurs.

At levels commonly found in the general population, cadmium has been linked to:

Endocrine disruption with estrogen-like effects
- Premature puberty
- Weight gain
- Breast abnormalities and breast cancer in women
- Prostate cancer in men
Decreased bone density
Kidney damage

Importantly, food accounts for approximately 90% of human cadmium exposure.

The Beyond Health Takeaway

To support long-term health, we must do two things simultaneously:

Maximize nutrient density
Minimize toxic exposure

Choosing organic foods helps accomplish both.

Because pesticides and heavy metals also contaminate public water supplies, we also recommend using a high-quality home water filtration system.

Additional supportive strategies include:

Vitamin C and zinc, which help facilitate cadmium elimination
Regular sauna use, shown to assist in eliminating stored pesticides and bioaccumulated heavy metals

No single strategy is enough on its own—but taken together, these steps significantly reduce toxic burden while enhancing nutritional resilience.

References

Baranski M. Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition, September 2014;112(5):794–811.
Sorensen E. Major study documents benefits of organic farming. Washington State University Press Release, July 11, 2014.
Schafer KS. Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in our bodies and corporate accountability. Pesticide Action Network North America, May 2004.
Johnson MD. Cadmium mimics the in vivo effects of estrogen in the uterus and mammary gland. Nature Medicine, July 2003;9:1081–1084.
Jarup L. Low-level exposure to cadmium and early kidney damage: the OSCAR study. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, October 2000;57(10):668–672.
Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program. The Facts on Cadmium. Updated November 18, 2010.