In a recent report published by the journal Nature, European researchers demonstrated some alarming findings about one GM crop. Critics have been vicious and vociferous, but few are toxicologists, and many have ties to agribusiness. http://www.nature.com/...
“NK603 maize (corn), developed by biotech company Monsanto to resist the herbicide glyphosate and approved for animal and human consumption in the European Union, United States and other countries. It reported that the rats developed higher levels of cancers, had larger cancerous tumours and died earlier than controls. The researchers have not conclusively identified a mechanism for the effect.”
Our produce and grocery aisles are filling up with GM corn, wheat, and soybean products with no FDA oversight on what we consumers are ingesting. One of the first attempts to genetically modify plants began with corn (maize), which is deficient in the amino acid lysine. That made it unsuitable as a staple for humans, and it seemed like a beneficial and noble idea at the time.
“Typically, the protein in corn seeds contains around 2% lysine, while we require 5% lysine in our diet to avoid protein deficiency disorders. Globally, nearly 195 million children younger than five years are undernourished for protein, and in 1992 an estimated 12 million American children were estimated to have diets that were significantly lower in protein than what is recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Poor nutrition leads to a number of health problems in children, including stunted growth, weakened resistance to infection and impaired intellectual development.” http://www.aspb.org/....
However, the entire agrochemical industry is innocent of any concepts of evolution. The biological reason for lysine-deficient corn is that it makes it unsuitable for many insect pests that would otherwise happily feed on it. By producing lysine-rich corn, the pests multiplied and had to be fought with extensive use of insecticides, which also end up in our food.
But Monsanto and its allies march onward with new GM tricks. Our large-scale corporate agricultural monoculture system can only work if the fields are free of “weeds.” Enter extensive use of Roundup™, by the hundreds of millions of gallons. But herbicides kill all plants, including corn, right? So now the issue is to produce Roundup™-resistant crops, which are currently available as GM seeds sold by Monsanto.
Left out of the equation is the development of herbicide-resistant “weeds,” then fought with larger doses of Roundup, which is now being incorporated into our food supply, and no one is testing for it.
But let us return to the development of cancer in lab rats fed NK603 corn. This is the first clear evidence of the carcinogenic effects of GM foods, which we are told is good for us to eat and feed our livestock. Betcha money this story does not get picked up by anyone in the media.
Bon appétit on those corn chips!