4/16/13 The Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods

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HowCantheWealthiestIndustrialized
NationbetheSickest?
September15,2012 | 295,676views |
ByDr.Mercola
Thehumanraceistheunwittingparticipantinamassivescienceexperiment,as
presentedinthismasterfulnewdocumentarybyJeffreySmith.Smithisoneof
theworld'sleadingauthoritiesonthehealthdangersofgeneticallyengineered
(GE)foods.
Thefilmexpandsonhissecondbook,GeneticRoulette:TheDocumented
HealthRisksofGeneticallyEngineeredFoods.
AsaconsumeradvocateagainstGEfoods,Smith'sauthorityisunrivaled.His
meticulousresearchhasdocumentedhowbiotechcompaniescontinueto
misleadlegislatorsandsafetyofficials.
Thehealthoftheenvironmentinperil.Smithhasmadethisinformationwidely
availableviahisInstituteforResponsibleTechnologywebsite,oneofthemost
comprehensivesourcesofGEhealthinformationontheInternet.
HowCantheWealthiestIndustrializedNationbetheSickest?
AmericansgetsickmoreoftenthanEuropeansorpeoplefromanyother
industrializednation.Sincethemid1990s,thenumberofAmericanssuffering
fromatleastthreechronicillnessesnearlydoubled.Lifeexpectancyhas
decreasedandinfantmortalityhasincreased.Illnessesoncerarearenow
common,withsomeapproachingepidemiclevels.Forexample:
Autismnowaffectsonein88children(CDC ),comparedtoonein
25,000 inthemid1970s
Type2diabetesratesintheU.S.increasedby176percentbetween1980
and2010
Celiacdiseaseisfourtimesmorecommonnowthan60yearsago
Alzheimer'sdiseaseisrisingatalarmingrates.It'sestimatedthat5.4
millionAmericans(oneineightolderAmericans)nowhasAlzheimer's
disease,andnearlyhalfofthoseage85andolderhaveitADrateshave
doubledsince1980
Newinfectiousdiseasesareincreasinginnumber,accordingtoa2008
study
Inhisdocumentary,JeffreySmithmakesaconvincingargumentthatoneofthe
primaryforcesdrivingtheseillnessesisAmerica'schangingfoodsupply.And
oneofthemostprofoundchangesisgeneticallyengineeredfood.ProvingGE
foodiscausingAmericanstobesickisatallorder,buttheevidencepresented
inthisfilmisverycompellingandshouldnotbeignored.
TwoTypesofGeneticEngineering
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Thehealthdangersofgeneticallyengineered
(GE)foodsaremasterfullypresentedinthis
documentarybyJeffreySmith,oneofthe
worldsleadingauthoritiesonGEfoods
AmericansgetsickmoreoftenthanEuropeans
orpeoplefromanyotherindustrializednation,
andscientificevidencesuggestsasignificant
factormaybethegeneticengineeringofour
foodsupply
Despiteclaimsbygovernmentregulatorsand
thefoodindustrythatGEfoodsaresafe,
scientificstudiescontinuetoshowtheopposite
GEfoodshavebeenlinkedwithallergies,
reproductiveproblemsandinfertility,birth
defects,bizarremutations,cancer,andnowan
unidentifiedmysteryorganismcausingan
epidemicoflivestockdeaths,SuddenDeath
Syndrome
GEfoodstriggerimmuneattackbecausethey
appeartoyourbodyasforeigninvadersrather
thanfoodthisimmuneresponsecanleadto
chronicinflammation,whichinturnraisesyour
riskformultipleadditionalhealthproblems
ThetwomaintypesofGEfoodsareherbicide
tolerantcropsandpesticideproducingcrops
bothareimpreciseprocessesthatareriddled
withunexpectedconsequences,suchas
hundredstothousandsofgeneticmutationsthat
haveunknowneffectsonhumanhealth
4/16/13 The Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods
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Geneticallyengineeredfoodcomesfromcropsthathavebeenalteredbymixing
andmatchinggenes,usuallyfromgeneticallymodifiedorganisms.Theytake
genesfromonespeciesandforcethemintoanotherspeciesevenbetween
speciesthathavenevermatedinnature.TherearetwomaintypesofGEfoods:
1. Herbicidetolerantcrops:Plantsengineeredtowithstandheavyherbicidesprayingwithoutsustainingdamage
2. Pesticideproducingcrops:Plantsengineeredtoproducetheirownpesticidessoifabugbitesone,itsstomach
explodesanditdies
Theprocessofgeneticengineeringishighlyimpreciseandriddledwithunintendedconsequences.Virusesaretypicallyused
togeneticallyengineerthegenesintoanewspecies.Insertingthegeneandthencloningitcantriggersmassivecollateral
damagesometimeshundredstothousandsofgeneticmutationsdowntheline.Theendresultisagenesequencethat
doesn'texistanywhereinnature.Whatcouldpossiblygowrong?Well,plentycananddoesgowrong.
YourImmuneSystemonAttack
Yourimmunesystemisafinelytunedsystemthathasevolvedovertimetodifferentiatebetween"normal"and"foreign"
matter.Whenit'sworkingproperly,itcandistinguishbetweenpotentialthreatscirculatinginyourbodythatwillhelpyouand
thosethatmayharmyouandgetridofthelatter.
Whenyourimmunesystemseesagenesequencethat'ssupposedtobe"food,"butoneit'sneverseenbefore,itattacksasif
it'saforeigninvader.Foodessentiallybecomesatoxin.Thisinitiatesaninflammatoryresponse,andchronicinflammationis
theunderlyingreasonformostchronicdisease.
Onekeysitewhereinflammationoccursisyourgut.Gutinflammationisaprecursortoallsortsofchronicproblems,fromheart
diseasetothyroiddysfunctiontoarthritistoautoimmunediseaseyounameit.SincetheintroductionofGEcornandsoyinto
theAmericandietin1996,numerousdisordersrelatedtogastrointestinalinflammationhavebeenontherise.
EngineeringWashingtonPolitics
InspiteofAmerica'sdeclininghealth,politiciansandhealth,environmental,andagriculturalofficialsseemtoturnablindeye
toalloftheseconcerns.ArecentarticleintheGMOJournal addressestheprofoundinfluenceofbiotechlobbyingonour
politicalprocess.ThearticlelistsanumberoffactsshowinghowcompanieslikeMonsantomanipulateWashingtontopass
lawsandregulationswhollyintheirfavor.Thisincludespreventingmuchneededlegislationtolabelgeneticallyengineered
foods.Thousandsofingredientsmustbelistedonfoodlabels,andyetgeneticallyengineeredingredients,whichhavenever
beenprovensafe,donotneedtobespecified.
Certainly,it'snotbecausetheyareproudoftheirproductandconvincedofitssuperiorityoverconventionalororganic
products.Andit'snotbecauseitwouldbecostprohibitive.
Countlessotheringredientsandhealthclaimshavebeenaddedtolabelsovertheyears,withoutsendingpricessoaring.I'm
notsurewhatitwilltaketomakethemgrowaconscienceandtakecorrectiveactiononthedangersthey'veunleashed.As
suggestedinGMOJournal,it'stimetoacknowledgethisindustryismotivatedbyprofitalone,attheexpenseofeveryoneand
everythingelse.
GMOReportDisprovesFDA'sSafetyClaims
Thereisasignificantcompilationofscientificevidencethatcastsseriousdoubtontheclaimsmadebyindustryand
governmentofficialsaboutthesafetyofGEfoods.ConsiderarecentreportbyTheAtlantic.
Theauthorsofthereport"GMOMythsandTruths" tookasciencebasedapproachtoevaluatingtheavailableresearch,
arrivingattheconclusionthatmostofthescientificevidenceregardingsafetyandincreasedyieldpotentialdonotatall
supporttheclaims.Infact,theevidencedemonstratestheclaimsforgeneticallyengineeredfoodsarenotjustwildly
overblowntheysimplyaren'ttrue.
NotonlyareGEfoodslessnutritiousthannonGEfoods,theyposedistincthealthrisks,areinadequatelyregulated,harmthe
environmentandfarmers,andareapoorsolutiontoworldhunger.
TheauthorsofthiscriticalreportincludeMichaelAntoniou,PhD,whoheadstheGeneExpressionandTherapyGroupat
King'sCollegeatLondonSchoolofMedicineintheUK.He'sa28yearveteranofgeneticengineeringtechnologywhohas
himselfinventedanumberofgeneexpressionbiotechnologiesandJohnFagan,PhD,aleadingauthorityonfood
sustainability,biosafety,andGEtesting.Ifyouwanttogetacomprehensiveunderstandingofgeneticallyengineeredfoods,I
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BillGatesLeveraged
Philanthropy:CorporateProfit
versusHumanity
4/16/13 The Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods
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stronglyrecommendreadingthisreport.
TinkeringwiththeGeneticsofYourFoodWhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong?
Bttoxin,producedbyMonsanto'sgeneticallyengineeredBtcorn,isagreatexampleofwhatcangowrong.Btcornwas
introducedtothefoodsupplyinthemid1990s.
OneofthestatedpurposesofGEcropsistomakeiteasierforfarmerstocontrolweedsandinsects.Towardthisend,genetic
engineerscapitalizedonatypeofsoilbacteriacalledBacillusthuringiensis(orBt),whosetoxinkillsinsects.Theytookthe
genefromthebacteriathatproducethetoxinandforceditintocornandcotton,sothattheplantswoulddothekilling.Every
singlecellinBtcorn,soyandcottonproducesBttoxin.
WhenBtcornwasapproved,bothMonsantoandtheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)assuredeveryonethattheBt
toxinproducedbytheseplantswouldhurtonlyinsects.
TheyclaimedBttoxinwouldbecompletelydestroyedinthehumandigestivesystem,soitwouldnothaveanyimpactatall.
However,suchwasnotthecase.DoctorsatQuebec'sSherbrookeUniversityHospitalwereshockedtofindthetoxin
circulatinginthebloodof93percentofthepregnantwomen,80percentoftheirbabies'umbilicalblood,and67percentofthe
nonpregnantwomentheytested. Clearly,BttoxinisnotdestroyedinyourGItract.
IsYourFoodTurningYourGutIntoaPesticideFactory?
ManyofthehealthproblemsnowlinkedwithBtcropshaverisenexponentiallysincetheirintroductiontothemarket.Thefact
thatthetoxinisflowingthroughyourbloodstreamandpassingfrompregnantwomentotheirbabiesisastrongwarningthatBt
cropscannotbeconsideredharmless.Additionally,governmentsponsoredresearchinItaly showedawiderangeof
problematicresponsesinmicefedBtcorn,includingmultiplesclerosis,inflammatoryboweldiseaseandmultipleformsof
cancer.
AstudyinFebruary2012demonstratesthatBttoxindoesbreakopenthelittleporesinhumancells,soitcouldpotentially
causethesameprobleminyourgutasitdoesfortheinsectsitkills.
ConsumingBtcornorsoycouldpotentiallycausegutpermeability("leakygut"),whichcanpredisposeyoutoallsortsof
healthproblems.
Yourgutisthefrontlineofyourimmunesystem.Whenyourgutliningistoopermeable,or"leaky,"largerbitsoffoodcanpass
directlyintoyourblood,undigested,triggeringfoodallergiesandintolerances.Childrenareparticularlysusceptibletothe
harmfuleffectsofleakygutanddysbiosis(imbalanceinnaturalflora,whichiscriticalfortheirhealth).
StudiesalsosuggestseatingBtcornmightactuallyturnyourintestinalfloraintoa"livingpesticidefactory,"essentially
manufacturingBttoxinfromwithinyourdigestivesystemonacontinuousbasis.Fordecadesnow,peoplehavebeeneating
thesefrankenfoods,andallergieshavebeenontherise.Infact,fivemillionchildrennowsufferfromfoodallergies...
MakingMilkToxic:rBGH
BtcornisnottheonlyGEfoodforwhichthereisevidenceoftrouble.Considerwhatwe'velearnedaboutbovinegrowth
hormone,orrBGH.
GEbovinegrowthhormone(akaPosilac,rBGH,orrBST)isengineeredbyinsertingcowgenesintoE.colibacteria,inorder
tomakethebacteriaproduceahormonethatrevsupcows'metabolism,therebystimulatingincreasedmilkproduction.
However,rBGHincreasesthecows'IGF1levels(ahormonecalledinsulinlikegrowthfactor),whichhasbeenlinkedwith
cancer,andthishormoneispassedoninthemilk.PremenopausalwomenwithhighIGF1areseventimesmorelikelyto
developbreastcancer,andmenwithincreasedIGF1haveahigherriskforcanceroftheprostate.
ThereisstrongevidencerBGHincreaseswomen'sriskformilkducttissuecancer,whichisoneofthemostaggressiveforms
ofbreastcancer.Ratesofmilkducttissuecancerhaverisenby50to60percent.Eventhedairycowssufferfrom16different
healthproblemswhengivenrBGH.
CouldGlyphosatebeLeadingtheHumanRaceOveraCliff?
Geneticallyengineeredfoodsappeartobecausingproblemsthattransferupthefoodchain.Micronutrientssuchasiron,
manganeseandzinccanbereducedbyasmuchas80to90percentinGEplants.AnimalsandlivestockgivenGEfeedare
becomingnutrientdeficient,weakandsick.Whenweconsumethenutrientdepletedplantsandanimals,webecomeweak
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4/16/13 The Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods
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andsickourselves.Furthermore,thereisevidencethisproblemmaybeworkingitswayupthefoodchaindeficienciesthat
arewelldocumented.
Notsurprisingly,glyphosate,theactiveingredientinMonsanto'sherbicideRoundup,whichwasintroducedin1972,isbeing
foundinhighconcentrationsintheGItractsoflivestock,andinair,rain,andgroundwatersamples.Cropsarebeing
geneticallyengineeredas"RoundupReady"sotheycanwithstandmassivesprayingwiththetoxicchemicalchelator.
MonsantohaslongclaimedRoundupissafeandenvironmentallyfriendly,butrecentstudiesshowitdoesnotreadilybreak
downintheenvironment.
Glyphosatehasbeenlinkedtomorethan20adversehealtheffects,includingbirthdefects,infertilityandcancer.
Glyphosateisachelatorandkillsweedsbymakingimportantmineralnutrientsunavailabletotheplants,thusweakeningtheir
defensesandmakingthemmoresusceptibletodiseasesinthesoil.Ifglyphosatebuildsupinyourbody,itcancontributeto
vitalmineralimbalancesanddefiniteness...Bycarelesslydousingourfoodcropsinglyphosate,yourchildrenand
grandchildrenandevenyourgreatgrandchildrencouldbeinheritingawholehostofproblems.
Animalstudiesshowstrongevidencethatthemassiveuseofchemicalchelatorslikeglyphosatearecontributingtoimpaired
reproductivecapacity.Humaninfertilityratesarerisingandareatarecordhighandfertilityclinicsarepoppingupeverywhere
tomeettheneed.Amonglivestock,thereisanepidemicofinfertilityandmiscarriage.
Andmanystudiesshowglyphosateisgenotoxic(causesbirthdefects).
ChildrenofworkersonsoybeanfarmssprayedwithRounduphaveshowna70foldincreaseinbirthdefects.Laboratory
animalsfedRoundupReadysoydevelopseriousreproductivedisorders,includingspermdamage,uterinedamage,and
testicularchanges.Inonestudy,halfofthebabyratswhosemotherswerefedGEsoydiedwithinthreeweeks.Thebabies
werealsosmallerandinfertile.Inastudyyettobepublished,rattesticlesturnedblue,andbythethirdgeneration,therats
weresterile.Someevenhadhairgrowinginsidetheirmouths!
Yettheindustrycontinuestosweepfindingssuchastheseundertherug.
Today'shighautismratescouldbeanunfortunateeffectofGEfoods.ChangesseenintheGItractsofautisticchildrenare
consistentwiththoseseenintheGItractsofanimalsgivenGEfeed.AutismspectrumdisordershaverisenrapidlysinceGE
foodswereintroduced.Wecan'truleoutthepossibilitythatGEfoodsarecontributingorevendrivingtoday'sautismepidemic.
ThegoodnewsisthatsomeofthedamagingeffectsofGEfoodsappeartobereversible.Parentsofautisticchildrenreport
positivechangesintheirphysicalandmentalsymptomsafterremovingallGEfoodsfromtheirdiets.Andfarmersreport
livestockanimalsdisplayinghealthproblemsfromGEfeedquicklyimprovewhentheirfeedisswitchedtononGE.
CaliforniaBallotInitiativeCouldBetheTippingPointforGEFoods
Californiaisgoingtobatfortheentirecountry,ifnottheworld.Labelingbillshavebeenintroducedin19states,butnonehave
gottenpastMonsanto'sweightylobbyingpower,untilnow.Aninitiativethatwouldrequiremandatorylabelingofgenetically
engineeredfoodsandfoodingredientsisontheNovember6ballotinCalifornia.IfCaliforniavoterspassthisinitiative,itwill
likelybethebeginningoftheendforMonsantoandgeneticallyengineeredfoodintheUnitedStates.
RemovingGEfoodsfromthemarketisprobablynotasdifficultasyoumightthink.You,theconsumer,controlthemarket.
WhenconsumersstopbuyingGEfoodsbecausetheycanclearlyidentifythembytheirlabels,manufacturerswillsimplyhave
todiscontinueproductionforeconomicreasons.Anditdoesn'ttakeanenormousmarketshare.JeffreySmithpredictsfive
percentisallthat'srequiredtotakeustothetippingpoint,whichiswhathappenedinEuropewhenGElabelinglawstook
effect.
CluesforAvoidingGEFoods
Inthemeantime,therearesomemeasuresyoucantaketomakesurethefoodsyouselectarenotgeneticallyengineered.
TherearenineprimaryGEfoodcrops,buttheirderivativesareinover70percentofsupermarketfoods,particularlyprocessed
foods.GEingredientscanhide.Forexample,everycanofsodacontaininghighfructosecornsyrupmostlikelycontainsGE
corn.Makesurenoneofthefollowingareonyourgrocerylist,unlesstheyareUSDAcertifiedorganic:
Soy Cottonseed Corn
CanolaOil Hawaiianpapaya Alfalfa
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[+]Comments(187)
[+]SourcesandReferences
Sugarfromsugarbeets Somevarietiesofzucchini Crooknecksquash

Avoidanyproductcontainingaspartame,whichisderivedfromaGEorganism.Andavoidanymilkproductthatmayhave
rBGH.Irecommendconsumingonlyraw,organicmilkproductsyou'veobtainedfromatrustworthylocaldairyfarmer.
TheInstituteforResponsibleTechnologyhasputtogetherahelpfulNonGMOShoppingGuideyoucandownloadandprint.
TheyevenhaveaniPhoneapp.
Bybuyingorganic,youwilldramaticallyreduceyourexposuretopesticides,hormonesandantibiotics,asthoseareusedon
nearlyallGEcrops.Whenshoppinglocally,knowyourlocalfarmers.Manyaretoosmalltoaffordofficialcertification,but
manystilladheretoorganic,sustainablepractices.Theonlywaytodeterminehowyourfoodisraisedistocheckthemout,
meetingthefarmerfacetofaceifpossible.Yes,itdoestaketimebutisworthitifyouarereallyconcernedaboutyourfamily's
health.
KeepFightingforLabelingofGeneticallyEngineeredFoods
WhileCaliforniaProp.37failedtopasslastNovember,byaverynarrowmargin,thefightforGMOlabelingisfarfromover.
ThefieldofplayhasnowmovedtothestateofWashington,wherethepeople'sinitiative522,"ThePeople'sRighttoKnow
GeneticallyEngineeredFoodAct,"willrequirefoodsoldinretailoutletstobelabeledifitcontainsgeneticallyengineered
ingredients.AsstatedonLabelitWA.org:
"Calorieandnutritionalinformationwerenotalwaysrequiredonfoodlabels.Butsince1990ithasbeenrequiredand
mostconsumersusethisinformationeveryday.Countryoforiginlabelingwasn'trequireduntil2002.Thetransfat
contentoffoodsdidn'thavetobelabeleduntil2006.Now,alloftheselabelingrequirementsareacceptedasimportant
forconsumers.TheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)alsosayswemustknowwithlabelingifourorangejuiceis
fromfreshorangesorfrozenconcentrate.
Doesn'titmakesensethatgeneticallyengineeredfoodscontainingexperimentalviral,bacterial,insect,plantoranimal
genesshouldbelabeled,too?Geneticallyengineeredfoodsdonothavetobetestedforsafetybeforeenteringthe
market.Nolongtermhumanfeedingstudieshavebeendone.Theresearchwehaveisraisingseriousquestionsabout
theimpacttohumanhealthandtheenvironment.
I522providesthetransparencypeopledeserve.I522willnotraisecoststoconsumersorfoodproducers.Itsimply
wouldaddmoreinformationtofoodlabels,whichmanufacturerschangeroutinelyanyway,allthetime.I522doesnot
imposeanysignificantcostonourstate.Itdoesnotrequirethestatetoconductlabelsurveillance,ortoinitiateorpursue
enforcement.Thestatemaychoosetodoso,asapolicychoice,butI522waswrittentoavoidraisingcoststothestate
orconsumers."
Remember,aswithCAProp.37,theyneedsupportofpeoplelikeYOUtosucceed.Prop.37failedwithaverynarrowmargin
simplybecausewedidn'thavethefundstocounterthemassiveadcampaignscreatedbytheNoon37camp,ledby
Monsantoandothermajorfoodcompanies.Let'snotallowMonsantoanditsalliestoconfuseandmisleadthepeopleof
WashingtonandVermontastheydidinCalifornia.Soplease,Iurgeyoutogetinvolvedandhelpinanywayyoucan,
regardlessofwhatstateyoulivein.
NomatterwhereyouliveintheUnitedStates,pleasedonatemoneytotheselabelingeffortsthroughtheOrganic
ConsumersFund.
IfyouliveinWashingtonState,pleasesigntheI522petition.Youcanalsovolunteertohelpgathersignaturesacross
thestate.
Fortimelyupdatesonissuesrelatingtotheseandotherlabelinginitiatives,pleasejointheOrganicConsumers
AssociationonFacebook,orfollowthemonTwitter.
TalktoorganicproducersandstoresandaskthemtoactivelysupporttheWashingtoninitiative.
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