You get twice the nutritional goodness when you eat organic fruits and vegetables, a new study has found. The pesticide-free produce have up to 69 per cent more antioxidants than non-organic varieties.

The person who always eats organic may even be able to halve the five-a-day daily recommended intake, say researchers from Newcastle University.

The study is the definitive study into organic produce, and reanalyses 343 peer-reviewed previous studies.

Study author Carlo Leifert says there are “statistically significant, meaningful” differences between organic and standard produce, with organic having from 19 to 69 per cent more antioxidants.

The compounds have a strong influence on heart health and some cancers.

Source: Daily Telegraph, July 12, 2014