Organic milk contains more of heart-healthy fatty acids than conventional milk distributed from dairy farms, according to Washington State University researchers.
In the first large-scale study of its kind, WSU compared organic and conventional milk by testing almost 400 samples in an 18-month period, according to a news release. The researchers found an average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8 in conventional milk, more than twice that of organic milk's ratio of 2.3.
"We were surprised by the magnitude of the nutritional quality differences we documented in this study," WSU researcher Dr. Charles Benbrook, the study's lead author, said in a statement.
The study was published in the online journal PLOS ONE.
"Surprisingly simple food choices can lead to much better levels of the healthier fats we see in organic milk," Benbrook said.
Consuming more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids is reportedly a risk factor that can lead to health problems later on. According to WSU news release, consuming an excess of omega-6 fatty acids potentially lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, excessive inflammation, and autoimmune diseases.
"Western diets typically have a ratio of about 10-to-1 to 15-to-1, while a ratio of 2.3-to-1 is thought to maximize heart health. The team modeled a hypothetical diet for adult women with a baseline omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 11.3, and looked at how far three interventions could go in reducing the ratio to 2.3," WSU said.
The team found that 40 percent of the "needed nine-point drop" can be achieved by switching three servings of conventional dairy products a day to 4.5 daily servings of mostly full-fat organic dairy products.
"We were surprised to find that recommended intakes of full-fat milk products supply far more of the major omega-3 fatty acid, ALA, than recommended servings of fish," co-author and WSU research associate Donald R. Davis said in a statement.
