Today is my second day of exploring GMO and world hunger, as part of Conducive Chronicle’s 21 days for Hunger. GMO food has been used as a solution for world hunger, but I will discuss some of the problems of this approach.
When the DNA of a plant or organism has been changed, it has become genetically modified organism, or a GMO. Small or even tiny changes in a plant’s genetic structure can have a significant impact on its properties. That may not seem like a big deal for plants, or even animals, but when it comes to humans, the stakes get a little higher. Just the slightest change in our DNA can have can have disastrous effects and chromosomal anomalies like Down Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome.
The most common foods GMO foods consumed in North America are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil. So what does it mean to us if we eat genetically modified food? What does the altered DNA of a plant or animal do to our own DNA? What are the long-term effects?
There have been numerous studies that have indicated that consuming genetically modified foods is risky at best. I will call out a few of them but any Internet search may yield some unpleasantly surprising and numerous results.
Lower fertility rates, sterilization and higher infant mortality rates.
Earlier this year, Russian researchers found that GMO food reduced fertility and even caused sterilization in second and third generations of hamsters. That’s pretty disturbing when you think about what kind of implications that may have for humans. But that’s not the worst part. Some very odd characteristics began to emerge after exposure to genetically modified food.
“Another surprise was discovered by scientists in hamsters of the third generation. Hair grew in the mouth of the animals that took part in the experiment. It’s unclear why this happened. The researchers cannot understand why a programme of destruction is launched when animals take GMO foodstuffs. They say that this can be neutralized only by stopping to eat these foods. ”
After this study, the Russian scientists suggested imposing a ban on genetically modified foods, as did their counterparts in France and Austria.
In addition, Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette has called out 65 GMO-related health risks including:
• Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce
• Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells
• The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning
• Several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties
• Investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products
Increase in “syndrome” diseases like Fibromyalgia.
In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called for a moratorium on genetically modified foods.
“Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients’ and the public’s health,” said Dr. Amy Dean, PR chair and Board Member of AAEM. “Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions,” said Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM.
Increased Incidences of the “Four A’s”: Allergies, Asthma, Autism and ADD — especially in children.
In an article on a USDA website, Raymond Brandl makes a connection between food allergies and genetically modified food:
“I’ve discovered that one out of every three U.S. kids currently suffers from allergies, asthma, ADHD, or autism and that the number of children with peanut allergies actually doubled between 1997 to 2002.”
Interesting statistic– especially since GMOs made their way onto our food scene in 1996. Coincidence? Maybe not. The evidence of the negative impact of GMOs on our long-term health and well-being is mounting.
The Say No to GMOs website lists a host of scientific studies– all of which strongly indicate that consuming genetically modified foods is just not good for us. Period. Most of them conclude that the human body does not fully digest the proteins or bacteria in the genetically modified foods. And some suggest that the altered combinations of DNA in food can cause new pathogens which can wreak havoc on our immune and digestive systems.
Next up: How to Avoid the GMO Bad Nasties
21 Days for World Hunger
Day 2 Focus on Hunger: Interview with Vandana Shiva
Day 3 Cambodia: Portrait of Hunger
Day 4 A Mindful Approach to Food Fosters Compassion for the World’s Hungry
Day 5 How Does Mindful Farming Help Solve World Hunger
Day 6 Sustainable Vegan Farming Practices Empower the World’s Hungry
Day 7 Food Deserts and Urban Farm Markets
Day 8 Vandana Shiva and the Navdanya Farmers Network
Day 9 World Hunger: From GMO Chemistry Set to Table?
Day 10 The Generational Consequences of GMOs
Day 11 How to Avoid the GMO Bad Nasties
Day 12 What do GMOs have to do with world hunger?
Day 13 Why do People go Hungry in The Big Apple?
Day 14 Hunger in New York City: Meeting the Victims
Day 15 The Urban Hunger Problem: Causes
Day 16 Becoming a Leader in the Hunger Battle
Day 17 The Psychology of Activism
Day 18 Hunger in Africa: One Small NGO Making a Big Impact
Day 19 One NGO Fighting Against World Hunger
Day 20 Tools and Support for Getting Your Activist Activated
Day 21 Conducive Chronicle World Hunger Writers on Activism
Consider purchasing a World Hunger: Be the Solution Tee. Proceeds from the shirt will go to Navdanya, the Small Planet Institute Fund the International Fund for Africa. All tees are sweat free and available in organic cotton. To see the selection of World Hunger tees at Conducive’s Humanitarian & Human Rights Tee store, click here.
Eco-minded cultural creative (intellectual hippie) who truly believes that the sum total of seemingly small actions, or "eco-steps" can add up to make a huge and positive impact for our environment, our health, our happiness and our bank accounts!
Thank you for shedding light on this frightening topic, Amy.
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Thanks, Elizabeth! Knowing is only 1/2 the battle… unfortunately.
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Fragile X Syndrome is not a chromosomal anomaly. It is a genetic anomaly. And unlike Downs Syndrome, it is not affected by environment of either egg or sperm. It is effected by a passing down of a gene, from multiple generations.
If you want to prove a point, don’t overstep your logic with mistakes.
http://www.fragilex.org
http://www.fraxa.org
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Tom,
I see your point and admittedly I am no geneticist. However, you statement reinforces the dangers and unknown risks of GMOs since we do not really know the consequences GMOs may have on our genes– that may get passed on down through multiple generations.
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Go to the websites. You can also go to the University of California at Davis MIND Institute website, Emory University School of Medicine, etc.
These doctors can trace the genetic trail of the disease for generations! Well before the beginning of any GMO’s existence. The Hagerman and Bailey articles are quite clear.
So throwing out a genetic issue as a possibility without research only weakens your argument. There may be many forms of autism which are environmental, but Fragile X Syndrome and the related FXTAS and FXPOI are purely genetic.
You are stating a weak hypothesis, it is not even a theory. If my son wrote what you wrote in his middle school English class, he would fail.
State facts! Not guesses.
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I think that you may have mistaken the message of this article. The statement from the author “Just the slightest change in our DNA can have can have disastrous effects and chromosomal anomalies like Down Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome.” is factual. If you have somehow drawn from that that she is proposing causality, I believe that you may need some remedial dialectic training. I read this as a “we should beware of things that may effect our genes or chromosomes”.
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You started so well. “Let’s look at the big problems the world faces and some of the possible solutions and all that”.
What a shame you then slide right into a load of anti-corporate bullsh1t, fear-mongering, emotional, factually inaccurate and extremely biased opinion, and an appalling lack of scientific validity.
But then by selecting ALL your sources of reference from anti-technology activists, I suppose we should not be surprised at that outcome.
Never mind the facts, feed the people on lies and deceit
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Mark,
I appreciate your feedback. Can you help explain how all of my sources are anti-technology activists?
And which facts would you be willing to supply to counter the numerous and independent global scientific findings (some of which are referenced in this article)?
Please elaborate. I am genuinely interested in hearing a factual counterpoint.
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You are still moderating my original comment, which points out quite clearly a mistake in your document. I have even given you links to foundations which list research sources. If you are going to post something, please have the courtesy to research facts.
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Amy, excellent articles. Well done. It’s not a surprise there a little backlash, because it’s a sensitive topic. You are shining a light on the detrimental impact of GMO’s of which we are at no loss for finding resources to back those findings. But mostly, like you’ve pointed out, don’t we have a right to know whether or not our food is genetically modified so that we can choose what is in our best personal interest?
Putting all the research behind, is there not an inherent problem with the fact that our own government is an obstacle to labeling genetically modified foods? We deserve transparency, and the lack of it leads me to the interpretation that there is corporate interference and government acquiescence. That type of surreptitious behavior only validates what I already intuitively know: Genetically modified food is bad for my health.
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Grow up: read the scientific literature – all of it, not just the anti-GMO publications – and try to understand and analyze what is there instead of parrotting the old, old “environmentalist” line. Those self-styled “environmentalists” indeed have scant regard for people and the environment in which they live; they are much more interest in feathering the own nests and promoting their clear political ambitions.
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Hi Valentine,
I’m not quite sure of the political slant here. The main point and objective of this article was to raise awareness that there really is not enough evidence to prove that GMOs are truly safe for us. They’ve only been on the market for roughly 15 years now and their presence in our food supply is astoundingly widespread. What are GMOs doing to us, our kids and our kids’ kids? Nobody knows that answer. So perhaps we should exercise caution or at least continue to ask the questions… At the very least, people should be aware of what is in their food and know what alternative choices are available to them.
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