My niece sent me a link today to an interesting article about a middle school student from Texas, named Ria Chhabra, who created a science fair project to try to determine if there were proven benefits to eating organic food. And her project proved that there were, at least for fruit flies. But before you laugh, understand that:
"Fruit fly models are often used in research because their short life span allows scientists to evaluate a number of basic biological effects over a relatively brief period of time, and the results provide clues for better understanding disease and biological processes in humans." This is according to the writer of the New York Times article about Ria's science project found here:
Ria has since won top honors in a national science competition, publication in a respected scientific journal, and university laboratory privileges (normally reserved for graduate students). The New York Times summarizes Ria's findings:
"By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally raised produce."Either via the New York Times article, or by clinking on this link you can read the scientific report published on January 9, 2013: Organically Grown Food Provides Health Benefits toDrosophila melanogaster.
Let's hope the food industry takes notice!
