GMO Foods and your Health

The Health Hazards of GM Corn -

There’s very convincing evidence that genetically modified foods spell nothing but trouble for your health. As Smith discusses in his interview, scientists have discovered a number of health problems related to genetically modified foods in general, and GM corn in particular.

However, these studies have been repeatedly ignored by both the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA…

Monsanto’s GM corn is genetically engineered to ward off rootworm by producing its own pesticide, a toxin called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt toxin).

In a 2005 article, Jeffrey Smith describes the findings from animal studies, in which rats developed a number of significant reactions when fed Bt corn, including:

Increased basophils, which is a typical indication of allergies
Increased lymphocytes and white blood cells, which is an indication of a response to infections, toxins and various diseases including cancer
Anemia
Blood pressure problems
Increased blood sugar levels
Kidney inflammation
Liver and kidney lesions, and other changes

In Germany and the Philippines, GM corn has also been blamed for the deaths of buffaloes, cows, horses, and poultry.

Damaging Research Remains Ignored

One researcher deserving of particular mention here is Dr. Arpad Pusztai, a biologist with more than 300 articles and 12 books to his credit and considered the world’s top expert in his field.

In the early 1990′s, he worked on a $3 million grant from the U.K. government, with a mission to design the system for safety testing of GMOs. But when he accidentally discovered that genetically modified (GM) foods are inherently unsafe, he quickly became the industry’s bad-boy poster child, setting an example for other scientists thinking about blowing the whistle.

The results of Pusztai’s work were supposed to become the required testing protocols for all of Europe. But when he fed supposedly harmless GM potatoes to rats, he made a shocking discovery.

Within just 10 days, the animals developed:

Potentially pre-cancerous cell growth
Smaller brains, livers, and testicles
Partially atrophied livers
Damaged immune systems

Other Examples of Dangerous GM Foods


Present and Future!

In addition to corn, there are six other GM foods currently on the market. And all of them have been linked to potential health problems.

Soy – GM soy is highly allergenic and accounts for about 90 percent of soybeans planted in the U.S. It is present in about 70 percent of all food products found in American supermarkets. Rats fed GM soy had increased mortality, lower birth weight, and damaged sperm and reproductive ability.
Cottonseed (used in vegetable cooking oils) — Sheep that grazed on GM cotton eventually died after developing severe irritation and black patches in their intestines, and enlarged bile ducts.
Canola – Three different mutant weeds resistant to three common herbicides – Monsanto’s Roundup, Cyanamid’s Pursuit, and Aventis’ Liberty – were produced when Canadian farmers began planting GM canola seeds.
Sugar Beets – Sugar beets easily cross pollinate, meaning GM beets could “infect” organic varieties and destroy their value.
Hawaiian papaya – GM papaya was introduced in 1998. After six years, a test was conducted on 20,000 papaya seeds. Eighty percent were taken from organic farms. Half of the seeds were found to be genetically modified! This means that it’s virtually impossible to safeguard non-GM crops from GM crops.
Zucchini and yellow squash – GM squash contains 68 times less beta-carotene and four times more sodium than non-GM varieties.

Solutions -

Although we can’t be perfect on a daily basis, we can strive to be better and smarter each and every day! Knowing what foods are typically GMO helps as well as the companies that offer Non-GMO Foods. Here is a list of organizations:

1. nongmoproject.org - 2. Buy Organic - 3. Non-GMO Shopping Guide