You are what you eat
By the Institute for Responsible Technology , Your Consumer Safety Partner - May 20, 2009
This week, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called
on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the
public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and
provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.”
They called for a moratorium on GM foods, long-term independent studies,
and labeling. AAEM’s position paper stated, “Several animal studies
indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including
infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and
changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They conclude,
“There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse
health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific
criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods
and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.”
More and more doctors are already prescribing GM-free diets. Dr. Amy
Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist, and board member of AAEM
says, “I strongly recommend patients eat strictly non-genetically
modified foods.” Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles says “I used to test for
soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered,
it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”
Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM, says, “Physicians are
probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to
ask the right questions.” World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava
goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific
journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a
major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans.
Pregnant women and babies at great risk
Among the population, biologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute
warns that “children are the most likely to be adversely effected by
toxins and other dietary problems” related to GM foods. He says without
adequate studies, the children become “the experimental animals.”
The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM
soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three
weeks—compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural
soy. The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting
pregnant.
When male rats were fed GM soy, their testicles actually changed
color—from the normal pink to dark blue. Mice fed GM soy had altered
young sperm. Even the embryos of GM fed parent mice had significant
changes in their DNA. Mice fed GM corn in an Austrian government study
had fewer babies, which were also smaller than normal.
Reproductive problems also plague livestock. Investigations in the state
of Haryana, India revealed that most buffalo that ate GM cottonseed had
complications such as premature deliveries, abortions, infertility, and
prolapsed uteruses. Many calves died. In the US, about two dozen
farmers reported thousands of pigs became sterile after consuming
certain GM corn varieties. Some had false pregnancies; others gave birth
to bags of water. Cows and bulls also became infertile when fed the
same corn.
In the US population, the incidence of low birth weight babies, infertility, and infant mortality are all escalating.
Food designed to produce toxin
GM corn and cotton are engineered to produce their own built-in
pesticide in every cell. When bugs bite the plant, the poison splits
open their stomach and kills them. Biotech companies claim that the
pesticide, called Bt—produced from soil bacteria Bacillus
thuringiensis—has a history of safe use, since organic farmers and
others use Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic
engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the
killing.
The Bt-toxin produced in GM plants, however, is thousands of times more
concentrated than natural Bt spray, is designed to be more toxic, has
properties of an allergen, and unlike the spray, cannot be washed off
the plant.
Moreover, studies confirm that even the less toxic natural bacterial
spray is harmful. When dispersed by plane to kill gypsy moths in the
Pacific Northwest, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like
symptoms. Some had to go to the emergency room.
The exact same symptoms are now being reported by farm workers
throughout India, from handling Bt cotton.[xiii] In 2008, based on
medical records, the Sunday India reported, “Victims of itching have
increased massively this year . . . related to BT cotton farming.”
GMOs provoke immune reactions
AAEM states, “Multiple animal studies show significant immune
dysregulation,” including increase in cytokines, which are “associated
with asthma, allergy, and inflammation”—all on the rise in the US.
According to GM food safety expert Dr. Arpad Pusztai, changes in the
immune status of GM animals are “a consistent feature of all the
studies.” Even Monsanto’s own research showed significant immune system
changes in rats fed Bt corn. A November 2008 by the Italian government
also found that mice have an immune reaction to Bt corn.
GM soy and corn each contain two new proteins with allergenic
properties, GM soy has up to seven times more trypsin inhibitor—a known
soy allergen, and skin prick tests show some people react to GM, but not
to non-GM soy. Soon after GM soy was introduced to the UK, soy
allergies skyrocketed by 50%. Perhaps the US epidemic of food allergies
and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.
Animals dying in large numbers
In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when
shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Post
mortems showed severe irritation and black patches in both intestines
and liver (as well as enlarged bile ducts). Investigators said
preliminary evidence “strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due
to a toxin. . . . most probably Bt-toxin.” In a small follow-up feeding
study by the Deccan Development Society, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants
died within 30 days; those that grazed on natural cotton plants
remained healthy.
In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, buffalo grazed on cotton plants
for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, the buffalo
grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All 13 were sick the next
day; all died within 3 days.
Bt corn was also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.
In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died;
7 of 20 rats fed a GM tomato developed bleeding stomachs; another 7 of
40 died within two weeks. Monsanto’s own study showed evidence of
poisoning in major organs of rats fed Bt corn, according to top French
toxicologist G. E. Seralini.
Worst finding of all—GMOs remain inside of us
The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most
dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers
into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to
function. This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still
have potentially harmful GM proteins produced continuously inside of us.
Put more plainly, eating a corn chip produced from Bt corn might
transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories,
possibly for the rest of our lives.
When evidence of gene transfer is reported at medical conferences around
the US, doctors often respond by citing the huge increase of
gastrointestinal problems among their patients over the last decade. GM
foods might be colonizing the gut flora of North Americans.
Warnings by government scientists ignored and denied
Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned about
all these problems even in the early 1990s. According to documents
released from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at the agency was that
GM foods were inherently dangerous, and might create hard-to-detect
allergies, poisons, gene transfer to gut bacteria, new diseases, and
nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require rigorous
long-term tests.[xxvii] But the White House had ordered the agency to
promote biotechnology and the FDA responded by recruiting Michael
Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, to head up the formation of GMO
policy. That policy, which is in effect today, denies knowledge of
scientists’ concerns and declares that no safety studies on GMOs are
required. It is up to Monsanto and the other biotech companies to
determine if their foods are safe. Mr. Taylor later became Monsanto’s
vice president.
Dangerously few studies, untraceable diseases
AAEM states, “GM foods have not been properly tested” and “pose a
serious health risk.” Not a single human clinical trial on GMOs has been
published. A 2007 review of published scientific literature on the
“potential toxic effects/health risks of GM plants” revealed “that
experimental data are very scarce.” The author concludes his review by
asking, “Where is the scientific evidence showing that GM plants/food
are toxicologically safe, as assumed by the biotechnology companies?”
Famed Canadian geneticist David Suzuki answers, “The experiments simply
haven’t been done and we now have become the guinea pigs.” He adds,
“Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,’ I say is
either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying.”
Dr. Schubert points out, “If there are problems, we will probably never
know because the cause will not be traceable and many diseases take a
very long time to develop.” If GMOs happen to cause immediate and acute
symptoms with a unique signature, perhaps then we might have a chance to
trace the cause.
This is precisely what happened during a US epidemic in the late 1980s.
The disease was fast acting, deadly, and caused a unique measurable
change in the blood—but it still took more than four years to identify
that an epidemic was even occurring. By then it had killed about 100
Americans and caused 5,000-10,000 people to fall sick or become
permanently disabled. It was caused by a genetically engineered brand of
a food supplement called L-tryptophan.
If other GM foods are contributing to the rise of autism, obesity,
diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, allergies, reproductive
problems, or any other common health problem now plaguing Americans, we
may never know. In fact, since animals fed GMOs had such a wide variety
of problems, susceptible people may react to GM food with multiple
symptoms. It is therefore telling that in the first nine years after the
large scale introduction of GM crops in 1996, the incidence of people
with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled, from 7% to 13%.
To help identify if GMOs are causing harm, the AAEM asks their “members,
the medical community, and the independent scientific community to
gather case studies potentially related to GM food consumption and
health effects, begin epidemiological research to investigate the role
of GM foods on human health, and conduct safe methods of determining the
effect of GM foods on human health.”
Citizens need not wait for the results before taking the doctors advice
to avoid GM foods. People can stay away from anything with soy or corn
derivatives, cottonseed and canola oil, and sugar from GM sugar
beets—unless it says organic or “non-GMO.” There is a pocket Non-GMO
Shopping Guide, co-produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology
and the Center for Food Safety, which is available as a download, as
well as in natural food stores and in many doctors’ offices.
If even a small percentage of people choose non-GMO brands, the food
industry will likely respond as they did in Europe—by removing all GM
ingredients. Thus, AAEM’s non-GMO prescription may be a watershed for
the US food supply.
Source:
http://www.opposingviews.com
By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK, July 6 (Reuters) - In the battle of the "latke" versus the cheeseburger, a federal judge has let it be known that the two cannot be confused.
A famed New York City kosher deli beat back a challenge from the Heart Attack Grill of Las Vegas over its naming of cardiac-themed concoctions.
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Thursday that the 2nd Avenue Deli may keep selling its "Instant Heart Attack" sandwich and launch a "Triple Bypass" version, noting clear differences between the deli and the Heart Attack Grill.
The 2nd Avenue Deli's potato pancake- and meat-based sandwiches pose little risk of customer confusion with the Heart Attack Grill, which sells giant cheeseburgers and fries cooked in lard, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer said.
The decision is a victory for the 2nd Avenue Deli, which under the threat of litigation in May 2011 had sought a ruling that it did not infringe any Heart Attack Grill trademarks.
Engelmayer said "it is safe to say" even unsophisticated customers could readily differentiate between a Manhattan kosher deli selling latke-based sandwiches and a medically-themed Las Vegas restaurant selling "gluttonous" cheeseburgers.
The judge also noted that the 2nd Avenue Deli, being kosher, cannot serve sandwiches that include both meat and cheese, such as the Triple Bypass burger.
The 2nd Avenue Deli's $24.95 sandwich consists of two potato pancakes, known as latkes, stuffed with corned beef, pastrami, salami or turkey.
"I'm really happy that we were vindicated," said Joshua Lebewohl, co-owner of the 2nd Avenue Deli. "This is a fight that was not of our choosing, and our customers are the true victors."
Following the court decision, he said the Triple Bypass, including three latkes, was to go on sale on Friday for $34.95.
The Heart Attack Grill had conceded during the litigation that the New York deli could be entitled to "limited" use of the disputed names. Engelmayer limited the 2nd Avenue Deli's use of the disputed names to restaurants in Manhattan.
In a statement, the Heart Attack Grill said the decision confirms that it can retain "unbridled use of its trademarks throughout the entire United States."
Lebewohl said his late uncle Abe, who established the 2nd Avenue Deli in 1954 and whose 1996 murder remains unsolved, came up with the idea for the Instant Heart Attack.
The case is Lebewohl et al v. Heart Attack Grill LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-03153. (Reporting By Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Martha Graybow and Leslie Adler)