At last! I knew that eventually there'd be a reason to feel good about drinking organic milk. Not that I didn't already have many reasons. And not that I'm presently pregnant or (knock on wood) planning to be. But if I were, I'd be very interested in the new study that says that "Children who drank organic milk and whose mothers drank organic milk during pregnancy [and while breastfeeding] had a 36% lower incidence of eczema than those using normal dairy products."

And this is why:

Previous research has shown that organic milk has higher levels of vitamin E, omega 3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants than non-organic milk, and also that milk from pasture-fed cows may contain more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is a type of fat which is thought to protect against health problems. And the study in question revealed that the difference in organic milk translated into raised CLA levels in breast milk and a reduced chance of eczema in the children whose mothers drank it and who drank it themselves.

At approaching $5 a half gallon, I would still say it's worth it, especially if there is a family history of allergies.

Of course, I could go one step further and suggest grass-fed raw milk which avoids the factory farms that even mainstream organic milk producers utilize, but...one step at a time.