The Adverse Health Effects of Genetically Modified Food

In the early 1990′s a group of scientists, working for the FDA, warned the agency regarding the adverse health effects of genetically modified food and urged the organization to conduct further rigorous and long-term studies regarding the possible dangers of this new biotechnology. These scientists’ concerns regarding the inherent dangers of genetically modified foods included such factors as hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, gene transfers to gut bacteria, the onset of new diseases and nutritional problems.

However, due to political pressure from the White House, the FDA responded by recruiting Micheal Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, to lead the formation of the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) policy. This policy, which is in effect today, serves as the means through which the government denies any knowledge of the scientific community’s concerns regarding this form of biotechnology. Through the enactment of this policy Monsanto and other biotech companies gained the power to be able to determine if their food products are safe, without interference from the FDA or any other health or community welfare organization. In return for his troubles, Mr. Taylor became Monsanto’s vice president.

The Recommendation of The American Academy of Environmental Medicine

In their position paper, published in the summer of 2009, The  American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urged “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.” In this paper, which stressed the importance of long-term independent studies and labeling, the AAEM sited the following reason regarding its concerns, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food, including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system”. The paper concluded by stating, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation. The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies”.

As a result of all the concern regarding genetically modified foods amongst the medical and scientific communities more and more dietitians, nutritionist and doctors, such as Dr. Amy Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist and board member of AAEM, are urging their patients to avoid consuming genetically modified foods as much as possible. However, this is not an easy task for consumers since under the current (GMO) policy food manufacturers are under no obligation to label genetically modified foods as such.

Too Many Questions, Not Enough Answers

AAEM states, “GM foods have not been properly tested” and “pose a serious health risk”. That is because, to this date, not a single human clinical trial on genetically modified organisms has been conducted. The highly acclaimed Canadian geneticist, David Suzuki, clarified the situation in this statement, “The experiments simply haven’t been done and we now have become the guinea pigs. Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,’ I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying”.

What this means is that we do not know if genetically modified foods are contributing to the rise of such health issues as cancer, obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, reproductive problems or any of the other common health problems plaguing our society today. In an effort to shine some light on this topic Dr. Pushpa M. Bhargava, a world famous Biologist, took it upon himself to review more than 600 scientific journals before concluding that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans.

The Only Published Human Feeding Study Of (GM) Food and Organisms

The only published human feeding study, regarding genetically modified foods, studied the function of non-organic genetically modified soybeans inside the human gut. This study concluded that the gene inserted into these soybeans becomes mingled with the DNA of the bacteria living inside our gut and thus continues its function long after the food itself has been digested. When this gene transfer evidence was presented at medical conferences around the US, doctors cited the increase of gastrointestinal problems among their patients over the last decade.

The Findings of Unpublicized (GM) Animal Feeding Studies

According to the AAEM, “Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation, associated with asthma, allergies, and inflammation” all of which are currently on the rise in the United States.

In India, where it is common to let sheep graze on cotton plants after harvest, the sheep which were allowed to graze on genetically modified cotton plants died. Their autopsies showed severe irritation of the intestines. Doctors stated, “preliminary evidence strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin… most probably Bt-toxin”. In a follow up study, which was conducted to determine the validity of the first finding,  all the sheep which were sheep fed genetically modified cotton plants died within 30 days. On the other hand, those that grazed on natural cotton plants remained healthy. Other genetically modified crops, such as corn, have also led to animal deaths. For example, in Germany horses and water buffaloes which were fed genetically modified corn died. In fact, according to a top French Toxicologist by the name of G. E. Seralini, Monsanto’s own study showed evidence of poisoning in major organs of rats fed biologically modified corn.

Other health issues, such as reproductive problems, also plague animals fed GM foods. For example, a group of investigators in the state of Haryana, India revealed that most buffalo that ate GM cottonseeds had complications during pregnancy. These complications ranged anywhere from premature deliveries, abortions, infertility, to prolapsed uterus. Most disturbing of all, though, was the fact that many of their calves died. Furthermore, in the United States, a group of farmers reported that thousands of their pigs became sterile after consuming certain GM corn varieties. Some of these pigs also experienced false pregnancies or gave birth to bags of water.

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