Frankenfoods

Yesterday I caught part of a radio interview where the guest was saying that before Obama leaves office, he would like to succeed in establishing a free trade agreement like Clinton did with NAFTA. The trade agreement he is negotiating is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Even if he succeeds in completing the negotiations in the United States during his presidency, the European Union is divided in its support, in part due to the large role food plays in their culture. Europe has long banned American foods that are hormone-treated, chemically sanitized, or genetically modified, and their persistence in keeping their foods real could kill the passage of TTIP.^[1] They consider these industrial foods in America “Frankenfoods” and a French organic chicken farmer summed it up as, “Americans will put anything in their mouths.” Besides genetically modified foods, they are particularly against chickens rinsed in chlorine and factory animals fed hormones.

Genetic engineering or modification is when a sequence of DNA is inserted into an organism to attain a desired trait (flavor, appearance, pest resistance, etc.). In the U.S., GM foods are not required to be labeled, so you don’t realize how much GM food you eat. At this point, any non-organic product with soy, canola oil, or corn is probably GM unless it’s labeled non-GMO Verified. An article in last summer’s Experience Life explains that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) aren’t labeled because Monsanto (the largest producer) reported $13.5 billion in sales last year, up 14 percent from the year before. “Frankenfood” means a botanical Frankenstein: genetic modification allows the transfer of any gene across any species in ways that traditional farmers never imagined. Plants and organisms unable to physically reproduce can become unnaturally intertwined. A new gene may be cobbled together from a plant virus, a soil bacterium, and a petunia plant, for example.^[2]

One fear among many health experts, is that GMOs are fueling an increase in food allergies and other gut-based illnesses. British researchers found a 50 percent jump in soy allergies after the introduction of GMO soy into the country’s food chain. Now the European Union imposes strict labeling requirements for GMOs – which makes it easier in Europe to conduct studies on how GMOs affect health.

In the United States, GMO proliferation has corresponded with increases in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, leaky gut, and, especially in children, allergies. Food allergies in children rose nearly 20 percent between 1997 and 2007. Most food allergies are reactions to proteins such as milk, eggs, soy, nuts and gluten; and since most GM crops make new proteins, they could spark new allergies or increase the incidence or severity of existing allergic reactions. Don Huber, PhD, professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., says that the introduction of GMOs into the food supply has been not only a massive human experiment, but a large-scale “betrayal of the public trust.” In 1992, the (FDA) relegated responsibility for the safety of GMO foods to the food industry, so the companies themselves decide whether or not to consult with federal agencies and what scientific data to submit. Bruce Blumberg, PhD, a developmental and cell biologist at the University of California, says, “Americans think the FDA and EPA are testing GMOs and making them safe, but that’s simply not true.”

Leaky Gut syndrome is when fissures open between cells lining the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Partially digested food particles ooze through those fissures into the body and appear to be foreign invaders because pieces of food don’t belong outside the digestive system. If the immune system can’t handle them, it can lead to autoimmune disorders and food allergies. GMOs introduce gene sequences that the body has never seen before. The concern, says Jeffrey Smith,^[3] is that our immune systems may be “interpreting the GMO as a harmful attacker and responding in kind.”

According to Smith, a protein in Bt-toxin corn is similar to a protein that triggers egg-yolk allergies, and a protein in the widely used Roundup Ready soybean aligns closely with a dust-mite allergen. The biochemical result, says Smith, is that “if you have an allergic response to dust mites, you might also have an allergic response to Roundup Ready soy.”  This theory is of particular interest to me because I’m highly allergic to dust mites and they seem to be in abundance everywhere year-round.  On the other hand, it’s not hard to find reviewers of these studies who disagree with the findings.  Instead of waiting for everyone to agree, I’d rather try to prevent my suffering by avoiding anything that may instigate it.

The Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin is one of the most common genetically engineered traits used on crops designed to kill insects by breaking open their stomachs. The concern now is that it might be causing a related reaction in humans. “The gut is the first interaction point between GMOs and human physiology — it’s on the front line,” says Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN.^[4] When scientists raised specific concerns about GM corn, Monsanto and the EPA said that the crop would affect only the digestive tracts of insects because the human digestive tract would destroy the Bt toxin. But a 2011 study of pregnant women in Quebec, found Monsanto’s Bt toxin in the blood of 93 percent of the women tested and in 80 percent of the umbilical-cord blood of their babies.^[5] The authors suspect the Bt toxin migrated from the GM corn in processed foods, and entered the women’s blood supply, something GMO supporters like Monsanto still say can’t happen.

The endocrine system is in charge of secreting hormones that regulate our moods, metabolism, and sexual functioning. The active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, disrupts the endocrine system. In laboratory studies of human cells, glyphosate disrupted hormone systems and led to cell death.^[6] Biotechnology companies insist the products are safe. But Monsanto said the same thing about bovine growth hormone in the 1990s, which has since been linked to cancer.

Why do some studies say GMOs are bad and industry-funded studies say they’re safe? Critics say that one reason is industry safety studies typically last only 90 days, which is too short to determine whether lab animals will develop any chronic or life-threatening illness. For example, pro-GMO experts called a French study that showed Roundup upset hormonal balance and led to infertility and birth defects^[7] flawed and biased. For example, critics say the scientists used tumor-prone rats; Smith contends they were the same type of rats Monsanto used in its studies.  Critics say the study population was too small; Smith points out that Monsanto used the same number of rats when testing for safety and efficacy.  Although the study was retracted at one time, it was re-released, with just as many objections so it cannot be used to prompt a ban on GMOs.

Unscientific feeding studies take place on farms around the country when livestock eating GM feed develop major health problems, including lowered fertility, weakened immune systems and an increase in stomach troubles just as some experts see in people. When animals taken off GMO feed show improved health, and people who switch to non-GMO foods likewise have improved health, we conduct our own studies.^[8]

Since there will always be more research done to contradict safety studies, the best solution is to eat real food; and if you have allergies, GI issues, or any other health problems, care to pay particularly close attention to what you put in your mouth so you can celebrate food and life as long and healthfully as possible.