Giving Compass' Take:

• Food Tank highlights a new study done at the University of California which finds that eating organically-grown food for just one week can significantly reduce the levels of pesticide within the body. 

• How can this research help empower farmers against the use of pesticides? 

• Learn about this innovative use of protecting plants without using pesticides. 

Researchers found the levels of toxins decreased by an average of 60.5 percent after six days of eating organic food.

Exposure to pesticides has been linked to many adverse health outcomes including asthma, infertility, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disorders, and impaired cognitive development.

This study followed four families from across the United States—Oakland, Minneapolis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. From days one through five, participants ate as they normally would. Then, from days six through 11, they followed a strictly organic diet. This meant that everything was organically-produced including organic oils, condiments, and spices.

Urine samples were collected to test the levels of pesticides within the body. The most significant decrease was with organophosphates, a highly toxic pesticide linked to brain damage in children—a 95 percent drop in malathion. Neonicotinoids, often credited for the loss of pollinators and insects, also saw a significant decrease—an 83 percent drop in clothianidin.

Read the full article about the health benefits of eating organic by Preetha Palasuberniam at Food Tank.