A Cross-Over Health Intervention Trial of Children Consuming an Organic Diet

Abstract

Introduction: The effectiveness of a systematic organic diet in improving key parameters of health in human studies has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to determine the intervention effectiveness of an organic diet in significantly reducing urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations and concomitantly affecting biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in children.Methods: A 2 x 2 cluster-randomised cross-over trial at subject level study was designed for healthy children (n=150, 11-12 years old) from families historically consuming a conventional diet (>80% of weekly diet). The study period consisted of a 40-day conventional diet arm and a 40-day organic diet arm. Diaries were used to record the consumed diet and extent of compliance. A total of five morning urine voids samples per child in select time points of both conventional and organic phases were collected. Select metabolites of neonicotinoid/pyrethroid pesticides were monitored in children’s urine using tandem mass spectrometry. Biomarkers of oxidative stress/inflammation and creatinine were measured in urine (isoprostane 8-iso-PGF2a and 8-OHdG) using immunoassay kits. Linear mixed-effects models of the biomarkers of effect were constructed to evaluate the main effects of organic diet and biomarker of exposure to pesticides accounting for both between- and within-subject variability.Results: The effect of organic diet on the biomarkers of oxidative stress/inflammation accounting for known confounders will be presented.Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the concomitant assessment of biomarkers of effect (oxidative stress/inflammation) along with biomarkers of exposure to pesticides in children systematically consuming an organic diet has been performed.