According to research from the University of Tor Vergata, the organic Mediterranean diet increases beneficial bacteria in the gut and reduces harmful ones.
How much does eating organic food affect health compared to eating conventionally produced food? The Imod (Italian mediterranean organic diet) study from the University of Tor Vergata set out to answer this question, finding that the organic Mediterranean diet benefits our gut microbiome.
The study is one of the most comprehensive internationally in terms of the breadth of data collected. For one month, 15 volunteers switched from a self-managed diet to a 100 per cent organic Mediterranean diet. Before and after, the researchers used advanced technologies such as DNA sequencing to examine the composition of the gut microbiome (the variety and quality of microorganisms living in our digestive system), body composition and oxidative stress reduction.
According to the results, thanks to the organic Mediterranean diet, the families of antioxidant bacteria in the volunteers' bodies — the bacteria that are beneficial to health — increased by as much as 25 per cent after the diet compared to the initial state. At the same time, the associations of pro-oxidant bacteria fell by up to 50 per cent across the sample.
"We are recording a benefit, and therefore a bacterial system that is working as an immuno-modulator by switching off inflammation," explained Laura Di Renzo, professor at the University of Tor Vergata. "These low-grade systemic inflammatory processes, sustained over a long period of time, lead to the development of chronic degenerative diseases ranging from obesity to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Being able to reduce this low level of persistent inflammation over time and for a prolonged period means that the risks of developing disease are reduced."
Positive results also emerged in the quality of fats consumed in the organic Mediterranean diet, with a marked reduction in cardiovascular risk. These values are expressed by the so-called atherogenicity index, which nearly halved (from 0.29 to 0.16), and the thrombogenicity index, which more than halved (from 0.42 to 0.20). The body's antioxidant capacity, which is fundamental for countering cellular ageing, also nearly quadrupled, rising from 5,870 to 20,573 ORAC units, the unit of measurement for the absorption capacity of free radicals.
The study also analysed environmental benefits: over the single month of the diet, the water footprint fell from 64,475 litres to 44,705 litres per person, a saving of around 20,000 litres. To put that in perspective, that is the amount of water needed for more than 250 showers. The carbon footprint also decreased, dropping from 40.25 to 38.13 kg of CO₂ equivalent: the same quantity of emissions produced by the average monthly operation of an electric oven.
The study, which is part of the MOOD project (Modello di progettazione della rete dei sistemi di sicurezza alimentare, qualità nutrizionale e nutrigenomica della Dieta mediterranea per la difesa della salute in Italia), led by the University of Tor Vergata and funded by the Ministry of Health and the Fund for Development and Cohesion, has also become a campaign, Il bio dentro di noi, to demonstrate the healthfulness of the organic Mediterranean diet. Three organic sector organisations collaborated on the communication and dissemination of the results: FederBio, AssoBio and Consorzio Il Biologico.