GMO Controversy

Wow. I just heard a really good discussion about GMOs by Jeffrey Smith on The Underground Wellness radio show. It blew me away.

GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Basically, you take genes from one organism and insert it into another. In the case of crops like corn or soy, genes are taken from viruses or bacteria and inserted into a gene of the plant. The crop then will have properties that make it more productive for farming.

Corn, for example, has been genetically modified to produce it’s own insecticide which works by punching holes in the stomach of an insect, killing it. Corn also has been genetically modified to be resistant to glyphosate, i.e. Roundup. Roundup is a pesticide that is supposedly not toxic to humans, but lethal to insects.

The insertion of genes in GMOs is not an accurate procedure. When a gene is taken from a bacteria or virus and inserted into a plant like corn many genes from the corn get shifted around which can create new allergens in the corn.

Skeptics say there is not enough science showing that GMOs cause harm and that it is from animal data. But I’d rather not be a part of a large experiment, would you?

So what evidence is there that GMOs can cause harm? More evidence is emerging. Animals fed GMOs are reported to have gastrointestinal, reproductive, immune, cholesterol, and insulin problems when compared to those feed non GMOs. The gastorintestinal problems seem to be the most common. Any of those sound familiar in humans (think IBS, Crohn's, etc.)? And there is even evidence animals fed GMOs carry the corn or soy based insecticides of those GMOs in their milk or meat which is then transferred to the humans consuming them.

Apparently Europe has banned GMOs, but GMOs are still used for animal feed there. Many consumers in America are now choosing to buy GMO free products, and companies like Whole Foods report increased sales of those products that are GMO free.

There is also an excellent book on Kindle that explains the GMO controversy further for those interested. It is called “Food Plague” by Arden Anderson.

I’d love to hear your views on this subject!