Organic vs Non Organic - Not all Turmeric is created equal

Turmeric is known as the king of the spice world with an ever growing list of health benefits.

BUT whats not being discussed much is that not all turmeric is created equal!

Turmeric has rightfully gained a lot of attention in the media recently as more and more health benefits are being discovered through research and clinical trials. Supplement and food companies are rushing to grab their share of the ‘Turmeric gold rush’ and as with most things, there are some good and some bad. When you decide to supplement turmeric into your diet its important to know exactly what your getting.

Any product sold as ‘organic’ in the EU has to comply with a strict set of standards. Products certified to these high standards can use the EU Green Leaf organic symbol. Any products that do not have this symbol on their label, are not certified organic.

Non organic turmeric

Recently in the US more than 171,000kg of commercial turmeric and turmeric-based products were recalled by the FDA over safety concerns over the level of lead.

Low quality turmeric can contain lead, other metals and pesticides. And studies show that the bioaccessibility of lead can be very high in turmeric (The Harvard School of Public Health Superfund Research Program, 2016).

This means that it’s easier for our body to absorb those metals. And that’s not a good thing.

Lead poisoning is serious

Lead accumulates in your body over time and can cause a number of serious problems such as:

Developmental delays and learning difficulties
Headaches
High blood pressure
Mood disorders
Abdominal pain and vomiting
Fatigue
Complications with conceiving

How to know your getting a safe product?

In Europe certified organic products are the most highly regulated and sought after in the world. Organic products come from certified farms where the soil must be tested and only natural farming methods are allowed to be used. This means rotating crops and using natural fertilisers instead of synthetic. It also prevents the use of harmful pesticides that are not only toxic for our bodies but also get into the water system and damage the environment we live in.

As we mentioned earlier in Europe it's the law for any product that's certified organic to have the green EU organic logo on its label. If a supplement doesn't have this, then it not certified organic and you cannot guarantee the quality.

Why organic is better

A study published in the British Journal of nutrition demonstrated that there are significant differences between non-organic and organic crops. It found there are "statistically significant, meaningful differences, with a range of antioxidants being substantially higher – between 19% and 69% – in organic food”.

Antioxidants are compounds in some foods that prevent cell damage from unstable free radicals that are missing an electron. They steal one from one of your cells causing it to become unstable. This causes cell membranes, enzymes and DNA to be damaged.

Antioxidants have a free electron they donate to make the free radicle stable. So now you can see how beneficial antioxidants are and the value in having foods that contain higher amounts.

There was also found to be lower levels of cadmium in organic produce, cadmium is a known carcinogen that’s naturally found in the earth but toxic in high levels. (Barański et al., 2014).

As we’ve seen above, low quality, non-organic turmeric not only is less beneficial for your health, but it might even be dangerous.

We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy all of the incredible benefits of turmeric, because when it comes to your health, quality DOES matter.

Sources

Barański, M., Średnicka-Tober, D., Volakakis, N., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Stewart, G., Benbrook, C., Biavati, B., Markellou, E., Giotis, C., Gromadzka-Ostrowska, J., Rembiałkowska, E., Skwarło-Sońta, K., Tahvonen, R., Janovská, D., Niggli, U., Nicot, P. and Leifert, C. (2014). Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition, 112(05), pp.794-811.

Cdc.gov. (2016). CDC - Lead - New Blood Lead Level Information. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/acclpp/blood_lead_levels.htm [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].

Consumerlab.com. (2016). Review of Probiotic Supplements and Kefirs. [online] Available at: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Probiotic_Supplements_and_Kefir/probiotics/ [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].

The Harvard School of Public Health Superfund Research Program. (2016). The Lead Detective Continued: Turmeric as a Potential Source. [online] Available at: http://srphsph.harvard.edu/the-lead-detective-continued-turmeric-as-a-potential-source/ [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].

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