Organic Processing Vol.6 #3

flammation (e.g., arthritis, cardiovascular disease) and rapid cell growth ( cancer).

6. Slowing, and perhaps even reversing certain aspects of neurological aging, leading to improved memory and retention of cognitive skills.

In managing blood sugar levels and promoting cardiovascular health, organic food and farming delivers benefits in two important ways. First, organic farming dramatically lowers exposures to en-docrine-disrupting chemicals that can trigger epigenetic changes and set the stage for developmental and/or disease problems later in life.

For example, OP pesticides have been shown to impair insulin sensitivity and increase risk of Type 2 diabetes. ¹⁸These pesticides are among a new group of environmental contaminants that have been called “obesogens,” a class of chemicals known to predispose an organism toward excessive weight gain and obesity. ¹⁹

Second, organic food delivers higher daily intakes of health-promoting phytochemicals that reinforce the body’s defense and repair mechanisms and help maintain blood sugars within healthy ranges. ²⁰

The phytochemical resveratrol has, in particular, captured the attention of scientists and the food industry because, among many other benefits, a 2008 study revealed that resveratrol mimics the action of a key regulatory protein that helps trigger satiety. ²¹Moreover, a team of USDA scientists has shown that the most potent analogue of resveratrol can reverse neurological aging in animal studies, ²²leading to whimsical speculation that resveratrol might be the source of the “Fountain of Youth.”

Several studies have shown that organic farming enhances resveratrol levels in red grapes by, on average, about 30 percent. ²³Conventional farming can, paradoxically, drive down resveratrol levels. For example, five Muscadine grape cultivars were managed using a typical, nine-spray fungicide disease control pro-

gram, in contrast to an organic system. ²⁴In one variety, the grapes sprayed with fungicides contained one-fifth the concentration of resveratrol in the grapes from vines under organic management. The resveratrol levels in the organic grapes grown from two other cultivars were about three-fold higher.

Remarkably, this study shows that grapes under organic management can fight off
plant pathogens through biosynthesis of resveratrol nearly as effectively as grapes
treated nine times with fungicides. Resvera-

trol, moreover, works wonders in both the plant and animal kingdoms. Higher levels of dietary intake of resveratrol have been shown to help preserve sensitivity to insulin, ²⁵a critical step in preventing pre-diabetes from progressing to full-fledged diabetes.

The upward trend in overweight, obesity and diabetes must be stopped and then reversed in order to offer any hope that the health and longevity of the baby boomer generation will equal that of the previous

“Organochlorine pesticides
generation. A measure of the challenge
are among a new group of ahead is that French fries are the most com-
mon vegetable consumed by children past
environmental contami-
the age of 18 months. ²⁶nants that have been called
There will be no single pill or medical
‘obesogens,’ a class of breakthrough, no change in policy or edu-
cation programs, nor a revolutionary diet
chemicals known to
that will turn the tide on overweight, obe-
predispose an organism to- sity, and diabetes. Changes are needed in
ward excessive weight gain
all these arenas.
The good news is that relatively modest
and obesity.”
changes in exercise and food consumption
patterns can dramatically alter the trajectory

of current trends, especially among young people and those moving toward, but not yet into the overweight zone. A net reduction in excess caloric intake of 100 to 200 calories per day would, according to some experts, stop the progression to overweight among as many as 90 percent of Americans. ²⁷

Significant progress can also be made by reducing or eliminating food additives known to cause problems with development and weight management, like most artificial food colorings, some preservatives, and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Indeed, a rapidly growing body of science is pointing at HFCS as a major contributor to today’s obesity and diabetes epidemics.

In a paper published this year, a team of scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland concluded that fructose actually increases cravings for more food intake, whereas glucose (regular sugar) triggers a signal in the brain that food energy needs are covered, at least for the time being. ²⁸ This is especially bad news, given that HFCS-sweetened drinks are among the most common snacks consumed by children between meals and the odds of kids being overweight double among those children drinking sweetened drinks between meals compared to those who do not. ²⁹The combination of changes in diet and exposure to chemicals known to disrupt healthy development results in many of today’s kids having an elevated risk of developing diabetes as an adult, or even earlier.