Different fertilisers and farming techniques affect the mineral content of plants in different ways
Scientists in Denmark have compared how organic and non-organic diets affect dietary mineral uptake in humans, focusing on copper and zinc. They found that there is no difference between the two diets when it comes to uptake and how the minerals are processed in the body.
Copper and zinc are two essential trace elements with unknown availability in organic verses non-organic diets. Alicja Budek Mark and colleagues at the University of Denmark investigated the content of these elements in non-organic versus all-organic diets fed to 20 men over 12 days. And Mark’s team assessed the in vivo absorption of zinc and copper by analysing faecal samples taken from the men during days 8–12.
Read the full article in Chemistry World.
Tweet: RT @ChemistryWorld There may be reasons to eat organic food, but improved mineral uptake isn’t one of them http://rsc.li/Zf6I6z
Link to journal article
Consumption of organic diets does not affect intake and absorption of zinc and copper in men – evidence from two cross-over trials
Alicja Budek Mark, Emese Kápolna, Kristian H. Laursen, Ulrich Halekoh, Søren K. Rasmussen, Søren Husted, Erik H. Larsen and Susanne Bügel
Food Funct., 2013, Advanced Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30247K
