The Dangers of GMO Food

GMO food, also known as genetically modified organism or genetically engineered food is spreading throughout the United States farmlands and into our food.

The Health Dangers of GMO Food

Lobbyists for companies like Monsanto and some members of the US Congress will tell you that there are no known dangers with GMO food and that studies have found no long term health effects. But of course there have been no long term studies since GMO seeds, crops or food have not been around long enough for long term studies with humans.

Other research done by doctors and scientists are finding that GMO foods could be the reason behind the dramatic increase in food allergies and asthma, especially in children and teens. Unfortunately certain members of the US Congress live by the motto “Don’t confuse me with the facts”.

A 2008 study of three different types of Monsanto GMO Maize found signs of toxicity and side effects in rats (rats are mammals too) from eating this GMO maize. The effect of the GMO corn was mainly found in the kidneys and livers because these are the two important organs for detoxifying toxins. The toxicity is caused by the pesticides that are in these GMO seeds and plants.

The researchers wrote in their conclusion “We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity. This can be due to the new pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) present specifically in each type of GM maize, although unintended metabolic effects due to the mutagenic properties of the GM transformation process cannot be excluded. [1]

• Soy allergies have risen by 50% in the UK after GMO soy was introduced.
• Third generation hamsters that had been fed GMO soy lost their ability to reproduce.
• Cooked GMO soy has 7 times the amount of soy allergens compared with non-GMO soy.
• Allergy tests have shown that some people react only to GMO soy and not natural soy [2].
• People are now having allergic reactions to foods that they never had a reaction to before.
• Immune dysregulation or unregulated immune response can cause an increase in cytokines, which can cause asthma, allergies and inflammation in our body [2, 3].
• Altered carbohydrate metabolism [3].
• Disruption of the intestinal immune system, which is very important to our overall health [3].

GMO Food and Environmental Danger

The GMO genie is out of the bottle, can it ever be put back in if at some point in the future it is found that these GMO foods are really dangerous, not only dangerous to our health, but also dangerous to other plants and animals.

Some of Monsanto’s seeds are known as terminator seeds, these plants produce seeds that are sterile. GMO companies tell us that the GMO seeds and plants will not invade non-GMO plants, still birds carry seeds and the wind and bees can cross-pollinate. If the terminator or sterile seeds cross-pollinate with the non-GMO seeds, this could cause those plant seeds to become sterile also [4].

These GMO seeds and plants have built in pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. Just like the overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial soaps have created super bacteria that is harder to kill, it is believed that these GMO type of seeds and plants will cause super weeds and pests that will be harder to control in the future.

The United States has 165 million acres planted with GMO crops, if something goes wrong with these crops, we would certainly be in trouble.

You Are What They Ate

In all the centuries of human evolution, we are now eating foods that our body has never seen before. Could this have some unintended consequences?

In 1996, just 2% of the soybeans grown in the US were a GMO type. Today, 93% of the soybeans, 86% of the corn and 93% of the canola grown in the US today are a GMO type.

Since you are what you eat, you are also what they ate before you. If you like hamburgers and steaks, you are also to some degree eating what the cow ate before you. Unless you are eating all natural grass-fed beef, you are eating beef from a factory feedlot that feeds the cows corn. Cattle aren’t meant to eat corn, they are meant to eat grasses. A diet of corn is unhealthy for a cow and to make matters worse, the corn fed to cattle is GMO corn. The cow eats the GMO corn and you eat the cow as a hamburger or steak.

Do you like bacon, ham, pork chops or any kind of chicken? Factory farms that raise pigs and chickens are also fed a diet of GMO soy and GMO corn.

Cows are also fed alfalfa, which the USDA just allowed farmers to grow Monsanto GMO alfalfa.

Taking this possible danger to our health even further, the USDA is seriously considering allowing a new GMO salmon and of course without labels.

You Are What You Eat

We have come to the point that we aren’t even exactly sure what we are eating anymore, mainly because of the lack of labeling laws in the US. Companies do not have to state whether or not their product contains GMO foods.

Do you like corn on the cob, most likely that corn was grown from a GMO seed.

Some form of soybean and or corn including high fructose corn syrup is in almost every processed food we buy at the store today. And 78% of the processed foods you find in the grocery stores have GMO ingredients.

Most chocolate and hundreds of other products have soy lecithin as an ingredient which comes from soy.

Most sugar comes from sugar beets which the USDA just allowed farmers to grow the GMO variety.

Many of these GMO crops are the Roundup Ready variety. Some scientists are now very concerned about an organism that has been found in high concentrations of the GMO Roundup Ready corn and soybean crops. Lab tests also confirmed this organism in pigs, cattle and other livestock that have experience spontaneous abortions and infertility. [5, 6]

Since these GMO food crops are Roundup Ready, farmers spray even more of the Roundup herbicide on their soil and crops. So you get the GMO and the herbicide and whatever else is sprayed on them.

This is what we are eating.

Sugar Beets and Alfalfa: The Next GMO Crops

The USDA recently allowed farmers to plant Monsanto’s GMO sugar beets while the USDA hasn’t even finished the final environmental impact statement, this is insane.

A judge in Oregon recently ordered that a plot of GMO sugar beets be destroyed because the risk of gene contamination is so great to the area. Yet the USDA seemingly ignores this [7].

The week before, the USDA has allowed GMO alfalfa to be planted in the US without restrictions. [8]

Conclusion

I am all for science, technology and feeding the world, but too many studies are pointing to something possibly very dangerous. If GMO food were such a great thing, why would Monsanto and the US government have to resort to threats just to get their GMO seeds planted. It is nothing but greed before health without enough testing.

Many farmers despise the way Monsanto treats them and consumers just want a choice and products labeled truthfully. If the GMO crops continue to spread like this, consumers will no longer have the choice of eating organic food.

Concerning labeling in the US, if the label says certified organic, it should not have any GMO ingredients. 

Copyright © March 2011 Sam Montana

Resources

Cover Photo by Illuminating/Flickr

[1] Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5:706-726

[2] PubMed Allergy Asthma Proc. 2005 May-Jun;26(3):210-6

[3] American Academy of Environmental Medicine AAEM

[4] Time Magazine

[5] CNBC

[6] Institute For Responsible Technology

[7] Planet Green

[8] Whole Foods Magazine

Food Inc

National Organic Coalition – Letter to USDA

Source Watch - Monsanto and GM Foods: Health Risks