This would be 11g – over half the recommended 20g maximum daily saturated fat intake for women, or over a third of the 30g recommended for men. Because regular pasteurized milk is heated to only 165 F or lower, it doesn't have the same long shelf life. They said the results suggested that people wishing to increase their consumption of omega-3 fatty acids could switch to organic milk as a "complementary dietary approach". One example is the European product Parmalat, which sits on grocery shelves rather than in the dairy case. Benbrook CM, Butler G, Latif MA, Leifert C, Davis DR. Organic production enhances milk nutritional quality by shifting fatty acid composition: a United States-wide, 18-month study. I’ve been using organic milk for quite a while and have come to discover reasons why it is a better choice. Organic milk often costs more than ordinary milk in most stores. While organic milk had more omega-3 fatty acids, linked to improved heart health, and was slightly higher in iron and vitamin E, it also had lower levels of iodine and selenium. It is concluded that organic bovine milk has a more desirable fatty acid composition than conventional milk. Most brands of organic milk are sterilized at very high temperatures (around 280 F), so it can keep for up to two months. How Organic Milk Differs From Regular Milk. Organic milk production observes very strict guidelines implemented by the European Union. It would be unwise to assume that organic foods and drinks are having a protective effect on your heart health if you neglect other important factors, such as your weight, exercise levels and alcohol consumption. Both conventional and organic dairy farmers have environmentally friendly practices. The researchers also carried out a study to identify what might have caused the differences in nutrient levels. The news is the conclusion of two reviews looking at the available evidence on the potential benefits of organic meat and milk compared to their conventionally-farmed counterparts. There's little argument that organic farming and dairy practices are better for the environment, if only because of their reduced use of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and other synthetic chemical compounds. Environmentally, organic milk is better. A new study has shown definitively that organic milk is better for you than regular milk. In 2010, the USDA closed a loophole in their organic regulations, so all organic dairy cattle must now spend much of the year grazing in open pastures, as opposed to feedlots or indoor feeding pens. While this may seem more natural and healthy, there is some controversy over whether it makes the milk healthier. Firstly, the beneficial fats specified in this study are found in dairy fat, so would be a very small constituent of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Organic Milk vs. Much regular milk packaging will include claims on the label stating the milk does not contain antibiotics or growth hormones. Parents are constantly wondering what milk to buy for their children and with so many options (organic, skim, lowfat, 2%, grass-fed milk, whole milk, chocolate milk, nut milk, etc. However, all the included studies were considered to be at high or unclear risk of bias because they didn't report results or methods in full, or didn't give enough detail about possible confounding factors. Organic dairy producers feed their animals with crops grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. The researchers looked for studies published from 1992 (when legal standards for farms describing themselves as organic were introduced into the EU) and 2014. Leave aside for the moment whether organic agriculture is better … There are other factors worth bearing in mind. They pooled the data to get average figures, looking at specific nutrient levels in organic and non-organic fresh cows' milk. The differences in vitamin and nutrient levels are small, and as the researchers note, the vitamins and minerals (vitamin E and iron) found at higher levels in organic milk are unlikely to have much effect on human health, as other foods provide much more of them in our regular diets. Even if you did drink half a litre of full-fat organic milk a day, that would only give you a small proportion of the fatty acids recommended – and you would be getting the same level of saturated fats as drinking conventional milk. The authors found few studies on fatty acids in milk; all (but for one) were of raw milk, and suggest that raw organic milk may contain significantly more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and vaccenic acid than raw conventional milk. The Guardian and The Independent took a more neutral viewpoint, providing quotes from the researchers, as well as critics of the research. Is Organic Food Better for You? Organic milk mirrors the benefits of all dairy milk. Therefore, even though both organic and regular milk can be said to have nearly the … Regular Milk: Which is better? The Mail Online was uncritical of the study, saying it "found clear differences" between organic and conventional food, calling it a "landmark study". But not all milk is created equal. This kill much more of the bacteria & spores than does conventional pasteurization. The UK media was split in its reaction. Organic milk does not contain antibiotics and pesticides. Can it really reduce your consumption of saturated fats? PLoS ONE. Is the organic milk better for your kids? Organic milk is also supposed to be better for the cows, since they have access to pasture, instead of being stuck in a feedlot. While ultra-high-temperature processing can have a negative impact on some nutrients, researchers find that organic milk does have a high level of omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3 can be found in many foods and taken as a supplement. And people seem to be catching on, buying organic products in such high numbers that demand is at all all-time high. "Organic meat and milk could offer health benefits, study suggests," The Guardian reports. Dietary omega-3 fatty acids aid in the modulation of inflammation and metabolic health. Higher PUFA and n-3 PUFA, conjugated linoleic acid, α-tocopherol and iron, but lower iodine and selenium concentrations in organic milk: a systematic literature review and meta- and redundancy analyses (PDF, 1.6Mb), British Journal of Nutrition. Standard systematic review and meta-analysis techniques were used. In contrast, there's little evidence about the effect of conjugated linoleic acid on human health. 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