What is GMO anyways? Was it that movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? Oops! No, wait a minute….that was Gigli!
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. It might sound like something from a scary science fiction movie, but it isn’t. I can assure you that it is very real, but still a little scary.
GMO can be in animal or plant form but for this article we are speaking about the plant form. GMO are being used in crops for human consumption and has been for many years. Crops are modified through Genetic Engineering to enhance certain positive traits such as nutrient content, resistance to herbicides, resistance to drought and or disease.
These positive traits are passed onto these plants by using the genes from other plants, bacterium etc.
A perfect example is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t is a bacterium that creates crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. The addition of this gene to corn crops creates a natural pesticide against insects that would otherwise devastate corn crops.
GMO foods were designed with availability and tolerance in mind. I world population continues to grow. This is putting a strain on food availability as crops can only grow
So fast and there is always risk of disease, and drought. GMO foods are being presented as a possible solution to this problem.
Some of the advantages of using GMO crops could include: (2)
- Drought tolerance
- Disease resistance
- Cold tolerance
- Herbicide tolerance
- Pest tolerance
It sounds good, except for the mounting risks against human consumption that are now being identified.
Why should you be concerned?
Some of the possible risks associated with consumption and exposure to GMO foods include the following:
- Increases risk of allergies and negative immune response
- Possible Liver and Kidney toxicity
- Possible reproductive problems
GM foods are one of the major reasons that there is such an abundance of peanut allergies in our world today. There has also been a dramatic increase in allergic reactions to GMO soy. This is just a couple in a long list, but since these are in so many foods, it could pose a real health risk. Scientists believe that this has been caused by the human body not being equipped to deal with the foreign genes that are being added to commonly eaten foods. There are now a lot of concerns arising around the safety of consuming GMO foods and the scary thing is that these foods are everywhere!
Knowledge is power and your health is your most valuable asset so for both reasons I encourage you to read two books. Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception – By Jeffrey M. Smith
Mr. Smith had the following to say about GMO foods and his book, Genetic Roulette at www.globalresearch.ca.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are inherently unsafe, and current safety assessments are not competent to protect us from or even identify most dangers. Overwhelming evidence to support this conclusion is now compiled in the book Genetic Roulette: The documented health risks of genetically engineered foods, which presents an abundance of adverse findings and theoretical risks associated with GM foods.
The book documents lab animals with damage to virtually every system studied; thousands of sick, sterile, or dead livestock; and people around the world who have traced toxic or allergic reactions to eating GM products, breathing GM pollen, or touching GM crops at harvest. It also exposes many incorrect assumptions that were used to support GM approvals.
Below is brief introductory overview of Genetically Modified Ingredients. This information is really the tip of the iceberg. Visit www.Seedsofdeception.com for a more extensive list.
Genetically Modified Ingredients Overview—www.seedsofdeceptions.com (1)
Here is a summary of some of the crops, foods and food ingredients that have been genetically modified as of July 2007.
Currently Commercialized GM Crops in the U.S:
- Soy- 89%
- Cotton- 83%
- Canola – 75%
- Corn- 61%
- Hawaiian Papaya- more than 50%
- Alfalfa, zucchini and yellow squash (small amount)
Others Sources of GMOs:
- Dairy Products from cows injected with rbGH
- Food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame and rennet used to make hard cheeses.
- Meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed
- Honey and bee pollen that may have GM sources of pollen
This information was taken directly form the www.seedsofdeception.com. This website contains a much more extensive list of ingredients and foods that you should be cautious of.
Referenced websites:
(2) www.csa.com
