Q: Buying organic can get expensive. Does the higher price tag come with health benefits?
Autumn is in full swing, which means supermarket produce sections are ripe with the finest late-season fruits and vegetables -- like apples, leafy greens and winter squash -- and often pricier organic versions of each.
If buying organic isn't in your budget this fall, experts say not to worry, as you're likely to get the same nutritional benefits from conventional foods. More important, they added, is that you follow a healthful diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Why are organic foods more expensive?
The Department of Agriculture sets stringent guidelines for organic food producers. Certified organic produce, for instance, must be grown without the use of most synthetic pesticides and herbicides. And animal products such as meat, poultry, dairy and eggs must come from animals given year-round access to the outdoors and raised without growth hormones or antibiotics. Organic products can't use genetic engineering, either.
One reason organic foods can be more expensive than their conventional counterparts is that producing them without synthetic pesticides or herbicides requires more labor, said Sean Svette, a dietitian and director of the nutrition and dietetics program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
An organic farmer who doesn't use a powerful weed-killing herbicide, for instance, may need to hire more workers to remove the weeds.
Do higher costs mean more nutrients?
With macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates and fat, there are no differences between organic and nonorganic foods, said Lizzy Davis, an assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Some studies do suggest small differences between micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and certain antioxidants. One study found, for instance, that organic marionberries and corn might contain higher antioxidant levels than their nonorganic counterparts.
But these findings have been inconsistent, Dr. Davis said. And researchers haven't proven that these micronutrient differences are big enough to affect health, she added.
"Those studies are one-offs that haven't been replicated at a large scale," said Dr. Irene Mathieu, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Most larger analyses have not been conclusive.
Will organic foods reduce your risk of disease?
Studies probing organic foods' long-term health effects have been mixed. In a 2018 study of about 70,000 adults in France, researchers found that those who ate organic food most frequently had 25 percent fewer cancer diagnoses than those who never ate organic food. But several years earlier, a study of about 623,000 middle-aged women in Britain found no difference in cancer rates among organic versus nonorganic eaters.
One explanation for such conflicting findings is that people who consistently eat organic food are more likely to have healthier diets and habits -- and higher incomes -- than those who eat conventional, Dr. Mathieu said. So we can't say that the organic foods themselves caused any health results. These studies also rely on people to accurately remember everything they ate over months or years, which is notoriously challenging to do.
Other studies suggest that eating organic foods could be linked to lower diabetes, obesity and heart disease risks, but they similarly haven't proven cause and effect.
Is organic worth the price tag?
Surveys often cite pesticide exposure as one of the main concerns with conventionally produced food. (Though organic foods aren't completely free of pesticides and herbicides. Mr. Svette said. Organic farmers are still allowed to use those that are not synthetically produced.)
The experts said that there's currently no solid evidence that the synthetic pesticide levels we're exposed to when eating nonorganic foods can harm us. That doesn't mean that these pesticides are not harmful, however.
Studies suggest that farm workers who are regularly exposed to high levels of these pesticides may be at higher risk of developing certain conditions like Parkinson's disease and possibly some cancers.
Some people may prefer organic foods to avoid genetically modified organisms, or G.M.O.s, but there's little evidence that they pose a risk to human health.
What's the bottom line?
Mr. Svette said it's understandable that people might want to reduce their pesticide exposure -- not only for their own health, but for the health of farm workers.
If you can't afford to buy everything organic, Mr. Svette recommended focusing on the foods you eat the most.
Washing and scrubbing fresh fruits and vegetables under running water can also help reduce (but not completely eliminate) trace chemical levels on their surfaces, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And discarding outer layers of leafy greens -- like the outer leaves on a head of lettuce -- can help, too, Dr. Davis said.
Pesticides sometimes collect in the skin or fat of meat and poultry, she added, so it can't hurt to trim those parts.
Ultimately, experts say that the best thing you can do for your health is to prioritize nutritious foods in general, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unprocessed foods, whether they're organic or not.
"A variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is really what's recommended for better health," Dr. Mathieu said. "We have strong evidence to support that."