GMO Foods Pros and Cons

There is certainly a lot of hype over GMOs. We have so many people yelling about how it will save the human race from starvation, while others scream that it will completely destroy us! How are we to know for sure whether foods that are genetically modified are safe and healthy?

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but “caveat emptor” is still alive and well. “Buyer beware” rules the market and we must be informed of all that we buy. Information is still our best protection from all the toxic scams that are devised to take our money and give us only poor health in return. I want to get past the hype and look only at the evidence.

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The GMO Home Case Study

My first experience with the GMO debate came from my wife. She noticed that our youngest child acted very differently when he ate corn, but not when he ate organic corn. I was skeptical, until I was home one day when he was given some non-organic corn by a neighbor. The five-year-old child was literally “climbing the walls!” He could not keep still! I had seen many meth addicts act the same way, so I was shocked that our child would be doing this! I even recorded it on video because the change in behavior was so drastic.

I started doing some research and found, at first, that GMO producers and the FDA were assuring everyone that GMO food was just like organic crops – but better, because the farmers didn’t have to spray for insects or weed their fields. However, as I dug deeper, I began to see a different picture in the case surrounding GMOs.

Few GMO Studies Beyond 90 Days

Most of the “reassurance” that the FDA and GMO producers offer is based on results from 90-day studies. That is, nobody died in three months — so it must be safe. This isn’t very reassuring to me, because I know that it may take much longer than that to produce illness from food. I wanted some real science behind the safety of GMOs, so I went to non-industry studies.

GMOs Can Cause Liver and Kidney Disease

First, I went to studies on animals, because they may give us clues to what may happen in a human. In 2010, a meta-analysis of 19 rats fed GMO soy and GMO corn found that 30-43% of the rats developed liver and/or kidney disease, compared to those who were not fed with GMOs.

I have read thousands of studies over the years, and the percentage ( 30-43%) of rats developing liver or kidney disease is very alarming.

Most pharmaceutical medicines are only approved on a less-than-10% (<10%) margin over placebo. This means GMO products have been approved despite the lack of rigorous safety assessments for GM crops and with the likelihood of organ damage. Wouldn’t you raise questions regarding GMO approval if it led to organ failure?

I’m not a fan of applying associated symptoms as a cause, so I wanted to know why liver and/or kidney disease might be a threat to humans. Before medical school, I was a microbiologist doing molecular biology and genetic engineering, so deciphering the biologically significant data was right up my alley.

GMO Gene Transfer

One of the most convincing arguments against GMO foods is the fact that the modified genes of these foods can transfer to other organisms. This actually does happen in the mammalian intestines, where genes from GMO can transfer to the normal bacteria in your bowel.

These now modified bacteria that stands up to pesticides can continually reproduce in our own intestines. What was originally meant only to help the plant grow is now growing in your gut.

Why might this be important? There is now lots of science to tell us.

GMO’s Toxic Intestinal Bacteria

One of the most common genes that is put into GMO corn, GMO soy, and GMO cotton is Bt toxin. Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that produces a toxin that kills insects. The preliminary research by the GMO producers indicated that the toxin would break down in the digestive tract of animals.

However, this didn’t happen with humans.

A GMO study on pregnant women and their babies at Quebec’s Sherbrooke University Hospital found that Bt toxin produced by GMO soy and GMO corn was found circulating in the blood of 93 percent of the pregnant women, 80 percent of fetuses, and 67 percent of the non-pregnant women they tested.

In other words, the GMO toxin is either not broken down in the GI tract, or our very own bacteria that normally help us digest our food are now genetically modified to continually produce the Bt toxin.

Why is this important? Bt toxin is a very potent adjuvant (aid), a chemical that stimulates the immune response in animals. This non-specific stimulation can have a wide range of effects:

Autoimmune diseases
Chronic inflammation
Spontaneous abortions
Chronic allergies
Rheumatoid arthritis
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis

…And a multitude of other immune dysfunctions are possible.

GMO Causes Mineral Deficiencies

Another of the more common GMO plants is Roundup Ready, which contains a gene that protects the plants from the herbicide Roundup. Roundup contains glyphosate, a chelator that kills weeds by making important mineral nutrients unavailable to the plants, thus weakening their defenses and making them more susceptible to diseases in the soil.

If glyphosate from Roundup foods builds up in your body, then it will make certain minerals unavailable. A German study shows that even people who have no direct contact with agriculture have significant concentrations of glyphosate in their urine.

Glyphosate has a negative effect on mineral nutrition and disease development in GM crops. Dr. Linus Pauling said, “You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.”

Because of these effects, Roundup disrupts the normal nutrient minerals in mammals. One French study showed Roundup to be toxic at all levels, even 100,000 times less than what people use in their yards or farmers use on crops.

In this study, even the “inert ingredients” of Roundup were toxic, some more toxic than the glyphosate itself.

This is relevant because if non-GMO farmers used Roundup, then they would avoid the food plants so as not to kill them.

With the Roundup Ready plants, the actual food gets sprayed with Roundup, making it part of the food. This is potentially devastating to people. Studies indicate more cancer, especially breast cancer, as well as kidney and liver disease in mice that were fed GMO Roundup Ready corn for two years.

More GMO to Know

I have only touched on two genes of the multitude of GMO food available. As more plants and animals are being genetically-modified to grow bigger, stronger, and produce more, I would be the first to say this has potential to really help mankind.

However, I am vehemently against the deceit and propaganda that has been used to push those currently available GMO foods into the marketplace. If there is science to indicate danger to the public, it should be withdrawn or changed to make it safe. You don’t want to be part of the massive science experiment when you sit down to eat with GMO foods on your table.

In the meantime, I believe there is safety in avoiding all GMO foods, unless and until they are proven safe.

How To Protect Yourself Against GMOs

Avoid fast food and chain restaurants

Large chain restaurants are more likely to use GMO ingredients. Instead, choose locally-owned restaurants that use locally-grown ingredients. Now, there are also organic restaurants offering choices for those who are not only passionate about great tasting food, but who are also passionate about eating GMO-free.

Don’t buy packaged food

Prepared and packaged food almost always contains at least some ingredients that are GMO. The fact is you don’t really know what is in the package because labels are made according to local laws. For example, there are over ten names for MSG. High Fructose Corn Syrup is now getting several names. If you can, it’s best to avoid them entirely. But if not, look for the ones that are “certified organic.”

Buy Organic

As of now, if a grower is organic they cannot use GMO seed. If you buy the following, use only “CERTIFIED ORGANIC.”

Corn
Soy
Zucchini and yellow squash
Sugar
Cottonseed oil
Papaya
Dairy
Canola oil

Read labels. If it doesn’t say, “Organic” then it is probably not, especially if it contains corn or soy, which are mostly GMO. Amanda Box, N.D. does a great job explaining some of the difference in other organic food labeling so you can become a savvy organic food shopper.

Go To The Local Farmer’s Markets

Even if there is no certification, you can trust a local grower more than a faceless corporation. Many local growers won’t spend the extra money to be certified, but you can ask them about their safe farming methods. Buy from the ones that use manure to fertilize, and people to weed, and ladybugs to keep down the pests.

Grow Your Own GMO-Free Foods

By far, the best option is to have a large garden to grow your own food. Growing your own garden is the healthiest way to get your fruit and vegetables. You know that you put good fertilizer and weed your own crop it by hand.

You also get more nutrients eating food fresh from the garden. Moreover, there is a great deal of satisfaction in caring for your own garden and eating food that you have assisted God to produce. Garden food is good for the body – and the soul. Look online to find ways on how to prepare gardens that fit your lifestyle. Even just one “upside-down” tomato plant hanging on the balcony can bring satisfaction and save you from toxic GMO produce.