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NUTRITION: Highway 1
Sneaky Genetically Modified Food
Have you followed the controversy over genetically modified (GM) food production?
If not, you're most likely not aware that probably dangerous food has slipped into your grocery bag disguised as a healthy tomato, potato, or whole wheat bread.
What is genetically modified food?
For thousands of years, farmers have safely and naturally altered the genetic makeup of their crops by selectively breeding those plants that produced greater yields, sweeter fruits, or faster growth. However, new levels of manipulation by scientists in the last few decades, brings genetic engineering to the frightening point.
Genetic engineers can now extract specific genes (or even parts of genes) from one living plant or animal and insert them into the genetic structure of another.
For instance, scientists take a gene from a soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis and insert it into the gene sequence of corn.
Why in the world would they go against all natural reproductive processes by putting an animal gene into a plant DNA sequence? (Yes, bacteria are classified as animals.) Abrogating the laws of nature established by God seems very dangerous to me.
In this particular case, the biotech companies manipulate the corn DNA so it produces its own built-in pesticide in every cell. When bugs eat the plant, the poison kills them by splitting open their stomachs.
Other types of genetic engineering make crop plants resistant to the effects of herbicides and pesticides. That way the plant crops can be sprayed with these poisons to kill the weeds among them, but they survive.
At first glance, these might seem like good things. But…
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) posted a position paper on their web site with many concerns about the health effects of genetically modified food.
http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html
In this post the AAEM revealed a significantly increased level of disease processes in animals fed GM food. These abnormalities included:
- Upset in the immune system
- Causing greater incidence of asthma, allergy and inflammation
- Altered liver structure and function
- Changes in the body's handling of fats and carbohydrates
- Cell changes that could lead to accelerated aging
- Changes were also seen in the pancreas, kidney and spleen
Wow! Do we need anything else messing up our metabolism and causing all of these dread diseases? We seem to have already done enough damage to our bodies by our poor choices. Now we have another layer of insanity to deal with in our food.
These mice also had a decrease in the number of offspring and lower birth weight of their babies. Also their intestines grew cells faster and the immune system of their intestines was damaged.
If all of those things can happen to mice and other animals, what about us humans?
The AAEM paper went on to link GM food consumption to human diseases.
"Therefore, because GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health and are without benefit, the AAEM believes that it is imperative to adopt the precautionary principle."
This precautionary principle is one of the main regulatory tools of the European Union environmental and health policy and serves as a foundation for several international agreements.
Basically that agreement is similar to the definition originated from an environmental meeting in the United States in 1998 stating: "When an activity raises threats to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken, even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context, the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof (of the safety of the activity)."
In other words, the biotech companies should have to prove that GM food is safe. But unfortunately that is not the case at this time.
For the rest of the story read Part 2 and Part 3 of Genetically Modified Food.
Genetically Modified Food Part 2
Genetically Modified Food Part 3
Blessings,
Dr. Jo
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