Health biomarkers in a rat model after intake of organically grown carrots

BACKGROUND: Organic food is perceived as being of better quality and healthier than conventional foods although the scientific research on organic foodstuffs is highly contradictory. The aim of the present study was to investigate if an intake of carrots from four different cultivation systems grown in two consecutive years would influence various biomarkers of health in a rat model. All rats were fed a diet with 40% carrot content. The carrots were grown under conventional (C), “minimalistic” organic (O1), organic (O2), or “very” organic cultivation systems (O3). A control group (CO) being fed standard rat chow was included. RESULTS: The plasma α-tocopherol concentration was higher in the O2 carrot-based diet than in the C carrot based-diet in one year, while all other health biomarker or nutrient content differences were observed between the CO diet and the carrot-based diets. CONCLUSION: This well-controlled field study demonstrated no clear influence of cultivation methods on the quality of carrots or on health-related biomarkers in a sensitive rat model. However, the experimental set up and selected biomarkers could be used as a framework for further studies of health in relation to organic foodstuff