The challenge of evaluating health effects of organic food; operationalisation of a dynamic concept of health

Abstract

The health benefits of consuming organically produced foods compared with conventional foods are unclear. Important obstacles to drawing clear conclusions in this field of research are (1) the lack of a clear operational definition of health and (2) the inability to distinguish between different levels of health using valid biomarkers. In this paper, some shortcomings of the current definition of health are outlined and the relevance of integrating a more dynamic and functional component is emphasised, which is reflected by the ability to adapt. The state of health could then be determined by challenging an individual with some form of stressor and by subsequent quantification and evaluation of the coherence in recovery of various physiological processes and parameters. A set of relevant parameters includes the activity of the immune system and the activity of the autonomous nervous system. A good recovery towards homeostasis is suggested to reflect a qualitatively good state of health. Furthermore, it would enable objective evaluation of health-optimising strategies, including the consumption of organically produced foods that aim to strengthen health.

Phenolic acids variability and grain quality of organically and conventionally fertilised old wheats under a warm climate

“…Recent studies have investigated the food quality concepts of organic foods with respect to conventional foods, as well as the methods for their determination . Here, Huber et al . highlighted that there are some obstacles towards drawing sound conclusions in this field of research.…”

“…7,8 Recent studies have investigated the food quality concepts of organic foods with respect to conventional foods, as well as the methods for their determination. 31 Here, Huber et al 32 highlighted that there are some obstacles towards drawing sound conclusions in this field of research. As an effect of cultivation method, we observed that there was no evidence for such on phenolic acid and TEAC, and we indicate that only TPC was significantly affected by cultivation method.…”

Multi-parameter comparison of a standardized mixed meal tolerance test in healthy and type 2 diabetic subjects: the PhenFlex challenge

“…There is a strongly increasing interest in this type of biomarker in nutrition and health studies, demonstrating their use in uncovering early alterations in metabolism preceeding chronic diseases [9,[11][12][13][14]. Recently, it was shown that quantification of challenge response significantly contributes to demonstrating health effects of food and nutrition in dietary intervention studies [6,7,[14][15][16][17][18]. A standardized optimal nutritional challenge test was defined after performance of a systematic literature review [3].…”

Influence of Dietary Advice Including Green Vegetables, Beef, and Whole Dairy Products on Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Overall, exposure to certain viral pathogens in childhood is necessary for achieving a proper immune function. Normal exposure to pathogens and decreasing severity of contracted illness shows the adaptability that reflects a good state of health [49].…”