Chasing Life

Welcome back to Paging Dr. Gupta. This is the podcast where your questions drive the conversation. And this week we're introducing another one of my producers, Sofía.

Hi Sanjay, we have some great calls for you today, and the first one is someone we've actually heard from before.

Hi, Sanjay. It's Casey again. I left you a message, organic versus conventional food. I actually work in the organic industry and have for coming up on 20 years. And there's a lot of misconception about what is and isn't organic food.

'Okay, Sofía, thank you. And Casey, great point. I mean, look, I can't tell you how many times I myself have been at a farmer's market or at the grocery store, wondering what the real difference is and then deciding, I think, whether it's worth the price and if it's healthier. So Casey, to your point, let's start with the basics. Let's start with the definition. As simply as I can put it, organic food is considered organic because of the way it is farmed, handled, and processed. Again, farmed, handled, processed. So according to the National Organic Program of the USDA, for food to be considered organic, it's got to meet these standards: grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers. That also means no genetically modified organisms. Okay, so it doesn't have any of those pesticides or herbicides in it. No need to worry about harmful dyes because these foods can't contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. So far you're with me. Finally, if it's an animal product, the animals then are not given growth hormone or antibiotics, they get organic feed and must have the option to go outside. Must have that option to outside. We'll come back to that again. For fruits and vegetables and other agricultural products to be certified organic, they need to avoid the use of prohibited substances. Generally, that's gonna mean anything synthetic. That's a general rule. You got to avoid anything synthetic when managing pests or weeds or disease or soil. The requirements for animal products are a little bit different. Livestock have to consume an organic diet, plus vitamin/mineral supplements as needed. Both poultry and livestock, again, must have access to an outdoor space throughout the year. So you're getting the picture here, the picture I'm painting of what is considered organic. As for packaged foods, It's obviously all about the ingredients. So for a food item with multiple ingredients to be considered organic, at least 95% of those ingredients have to be certified organic. Now, one thing organic does not mean, it doesn't necessarily mean that the food was grown near you. And organic doesn't automatically mean the food has more nutrients. So knowing all that, the big question then, is organic really healthier? Well, really strictly speaking, Organic food is not necessarily any more nutritious than conventionally grown food, except in a few instances. For example, few studies have found a higher phosphorus level in many organic foods. Some studies have a higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic milk and chicken. But I think the real point at the end of the day where organic food sort of has an edge up is lower pesticide levels. And that's important because high pesticide levels in food have been linked to all sorts of different problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and increased cancer risks. There's also a lower chance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meats, because they're not using the antibiotics. Look, there's no question that organic food also comes with a higher price tag. If you had to choose which foods to buy organic then, you might try focusing on what the environmental working group calls its "dirty dozen." That's a list of 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide levels. At the top of that dirty dozen list, by the way, are strawberries and spinach. So those are foods and others. You should look up the list. Those foods might be worth buying organic if you can manage it. At the end of the day, the most important thing is getting your fruits and vegetables in, no matter whether or not they're organic or conventional. Most people simply don't get enough fruits and vegetables every day. They don't enough fiber in their diet. So focus on filling your plate with those healthy options however you can. That's my best advice. When we come back, we get a new question that is 79 years in the making.

Okay, that sound can only mean one thing.

That's right, Sanjay. We have another page. This one's pretty interesting and it's from a big fan of the show.

My name is Jean. I had measles when I was very young, probably eight or nine. I'm now 79 years old. I am a bit concerned about the new measles outbreaks and I'm wondering if I should get a vaccination. I never had one. I don't know if I have antibodies still from having the original disease or does that dissipate? I don't know what to do.

'Jean, I am pretty certain you are not the only person wondering this since we've seen this outbreak continue to grow. So let me try and break it down this way. If you've had a measles infection, it is fair to say that you have natural induced immunity and it's probably something that has been persistent. However, if you're not sure, you can have your antibody titers checked. In fact, I recently did this because I'm working on a documentary about transplant surgery. But you can get those checked and figure out if you still have immunity. If you're considered high risk, you may want to go ahead and just get those titers checked regardless. Talk to your doctor about this. Now, one thing, since we're on the subject of measles, I do want to talk about the role of vitamin A because there's been some misinformation out there suggesting things like vitamin A and cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin A, could be potential substitutes for the measles vaccine. That is not accurate. Here's what we know. In specific doses taken under the care of a physician, Vitamin A can play a role in the treatment for measles. That's why the World Health Organization and the U.S. CDC recommend it in serious cases. Vitamin A is going to be most useful for people who are actually deficient in vitamin A. And studies suggesting its use, suggesting its benefit, mostly draw on evidence from low-income countries where that deficiency is common, okay? So in places where there's very high levels of vitamin A deficiency, you're obviously going to get a bigger benefit from vitamin A. There is some vitamin A deficiency in the United States, but not very much. That's why you don't see as much benefit from it. But again, in serious cases, giving vitamin A may offer some help. Trying to take vitamin A as a preventative measure against measles, that's not gonna work. It's not a preventive, it's not like a vaccine. And it could lead to some health complications. In fact, in West Texas, where I was a few weeks ago, where that large outbreak is happening. Hospitals have now also been treating patients for vitamin A toxicity, because people have taken too much vitamin A. What they usually experience at that time is vomiting, nausea, blurry vision, they can develop liver damage and even potentially brain damage. So look, Jean, bottom line, it's important to stay up to date with your vaccines, for you, your family, as we've already seen, sadly, measles can be deadly, especially for the most vulnerable among us.

'This Texas outbreak has grown now to about 481 cases, 56 hospitalizations, and these two deaths of school-aged children. So this is absolutely tragic. And when you look at the vaccination status of most of the cases there in Texas, 98% were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccine status.

'Protecting each other. It's the way we chase life. It's part of the reason I do this podcast. And remember, you can call us too. Leave us a message with your health question (470) 396-0832.

Thanks for your podcast. I've been listening since you started during COVID and you helped me a lot.

Chasing Life is a production of CNN Audio. Our podcast is produced by Eryn Mathewson, Jennifer Lai, Grace Walker, Lori Galaretta, Jesse Remedios, Sofía Sánchez, and Kyra Dahring. Andrea Kane is our medical writer, our senior producer is Dan Bloom, Amanda Sealey is our showrunner, Dan Dzula is our technical director, and the executive producer of CNN Audio is Steve Lickteig. With support from Jamus Andrest, Jon Dianora, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Leni Steinhardt, Nichole Pesaru, and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Ben Tinker and Nadia Kounang of CNN Health and Wendy Brundige.