You can turn your back on some things, and no one gets hurt; however a continual turning away from the foreboding truths regarding genetically modified foods is downright inexcusable. With the health of Americans already seriously at risk due to an alarming rise in lifestyle-related illnesses, perpetuated by a food industry swollen with greed, GMO’s are only adding fuel to the fire.
However, those that are padding their pocketbooks from what has been called the greatest living human experiment of all time, are making claims that educated consumers are now beginning to question. Here are just some of the myths that are circulating.
Myth One: GM Foods are Totally Safe for Human Consumption
The truth is that the studies that have been done to date show that there is good reason to be concerned when it comes to the safety of GM foods. In fact, all of the published studies have cited health risks.
In one study, a GM soy variety was modified with a gene from Brazil nuts. This GM food reacted with antibodies present in blood serum taken from people who were allergic to Brazil nuts.
This indicates that people with a Brazil nut allergy could react adversely to this soy. Rats who were fed genetically modified tomatoes developed bleeding stomachs, and several even died.
The tomato was approved even though these safety issues remain unresolved. 25% of sheep allowed to graze on Bt cotton plants after harvest in India died within a week, and post-mortem investigation showed a toxic reaction.
Farmers have reported that both pigs and cows have become sterile after consuming GM corn. Low conception rates have been reported along with cows giving birth to bags of water.
These findings clearly show reason to be concerned regarding the safety of GM foods; however, they are being disregarded and the march to produce more and more GM foods presses forward with much of this research being tabled as non-relevant.
Myth Two: GM Animal Feed Will Not Hurt Humans
So, if we are what we eat – and we are – how is it possible that a cow or a pig fed GM foods consumed by humans would not pose some risk to humans? The majority of GM crops are used to create animal feed.
The GM industry and the government state that eggs, dairy products and meat from GM-fed animals do not need to carry a GM label because the GM molecules are broken down in the digestive tract of the animal and do not influence the food product at all.
This assumption is false, and reports of GM particles found in food prove this. GM DNA common in animal feed has been found in milk sold in an Italian market, while modified DNA was also found in the organs of meat and fish. Bt toxin has been found in the blood of pregnant women and also the blood supplied to their fetuses.
So, it is clear that when an animal is fed GM feed it does, in fact, translate into the food we eat. Interestingly enough, when animals are given a choice between GM feed and non-GM feed, they choose the non-GM feed; they are not dummies.
Even pigs, who are notorious for eating anything, passed by the GM feed. The fact is that the body of evidence indicating how damaging GM crops can be to animals is rising, it only follows that consuming products derived from these affected animals could cause adverse health reactions in humans.
Myth Three: GM Crops Will Yield Foods with Higher Nutrient Value
In fact, the opposite has been proven true; GM crops are actually less nutritious than traditional crops. Genetically modified soy has been found to have a 14% lower level of isoflavones responsible for fighting cancer than non-GM soy.
Rapeseed oil (canola oil) that has been engineered to contain vitamin A has been found to have lower levels of vitamin E as well as altered oil-fat composition, compared to non-GM oil. GM rice crops grown directly beside non-GM crops had significant nutritional imbalances. Researchers involved in this particular study noted that the differences between GM rice and non-GM rice were alarming and deserved more attention.
GM foods, marketed as a way to feed a hungry world, are quickly becoming nothing short of a failed experiment that has killed millions of animals, tainted the environment and threatened the lives of the very people it is supposed to feed.
Perhaps it is time to stop what has begun, claim failure, and look at more sustainable ways of farming that support the environment and put health and safety first.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.gmwatch.org/gm-myths
http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf
http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes