Pesticides Reduce Levels of Disease-preventing Compounds

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Monday, 08 March 2004

Levels of salicylates, the class of compounds to which aspirin belongs, have declined in our foods, according to Gareth Morgan, a public health practitioner at the National Public Health Service for Wales. Salicylates have been shown to ease pain, prevent cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. They are produced by crops as a self-defence mechanism against pest attack. The use of pesticides means that crops do not need to produce salicylates. Morgan asks whether we should all switch to organic food and suggests that: "The potential public health benefits are so great that it would be wrong to ignore this important issue."
Source: New Scientist via www.soilassociation.org