The Hazards of GMO and Soy
Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically modified organism or GMO because it is engineered with genes from different species including bacteria, viruses, plants, insects, animals or even humans. Although "biotechnology" and "genetic modification" are often used interchangeably, GM is a special set of technologies that specifically alters the genetic makeup of living organisms with global implications. Biotechnology is a more general term with less significant effects referring to the use of living organisms or their components, such as enzymes, to make products that include wine, cheese, beer, and yogurt.
Genetically modified (GM) ingredients first appeared on the market in the early 1990’s but experienced rapid growth between 1997 and 1999 primarily due to a Supreme Court ruling that first allowed the patenting of life forms for commercialization. GM products currently being produced or developed include pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, foods, feeds and even animals. The most common GMO foods grown in the US are sugar beets (95%), soybeans (93%), cotton used for cottonseed oil (93%), canola oil (93%), corn (86%) and Hawaiian papaya (80%). If you recently ate soy sauce in a Chinese restaurant, munched popcorn in a movie theater or indulged in an occasional candy bar, you’ve undoubtedly ingested this new type of “food”. And while you may have known exactly how much salt, fat and carbohydrate were in each of these foods because regulations mandate their labeling for dietary purposes, you probably had no idea you were eating genetically modified “foods” because the U.S., unlike most other industrialized countries, does not require GMO labeling!
Soy, the #1 GMO
Around 1969 the soy bean was heralded as the solution for the upcoming population explosion because it could be made into many imitations of real food: bacon flavored soy, “meat”, milk, baby formula, protein drinks, and much more. Consequently, production of soy rapidly became big business in U.S. agriculture. Soy was soon recognized as a health food because it was low in fat compared to the foods it replaced, spurring even greater use. To keep up with the exploding demand, agribusiness began to genetically engineer soybeans to produce greater yields in a shorter time. Today, 77% of all soybeans grown throughout the world are GMO making a majority of soy products potentially harmful.
Possible Dangers to Health
Dr. Kayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, points out thousands of studies linking soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, cancer, heart disease and reproductive disorders including infertility. The list of dangers has grown to include breast cancer, brain damage, infant abnormalities, thyroid disorders, kidney stones, immune system impairment, and severe or even potentially fatal food allergies. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. infants are currently fed soy formula with associated consumption of GMO products.
In his book The Biotech Century, Jeremy Rifkin states "Our way of life is likely to be more fundamentally transformed in the next several decades than in the previous one thousand years...Tens of thousands of novel transgenic bacteria, viruses, plants and animals could be released into the Earth's ecosystems...Some of those releases, however, could wreak havoc with the planet's biospheres." Many other scientists and physicians have expressed similar concerns. Over 800 scientists and doctors from 84 countries have signed The World Scientist open letter to all governments calling for a ban on the patenting of life-forms and emphasizing the very grave hazards of GMOs, genetically-modified seeds and GM foods. This was submitted to the UN, World Trade Organization and US Congress. The Union of Concerned Scientists (a 1000 plus member organization with many Nobel Laureates) has similarly expressed its scientific reservations. The prestigious medical journal, Lancet, published an article on the research of Arpad Pusztai showing potentially significant harms of GMOs and Britain’s Medical Association (the equivalent of the AMA with over a 100,000 physicians) called for an outright banning of genetically-modified foods and labeling of the same in countries where they still exist. Approximately 95% of political representatives from 130 countries insisted on new precautionary approaches in the drafting of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.
Soy Products That Are Healthful
On a brighter note, soy can be incredibly healthful if it is organic, non-GMO, and properly fermented. These foods include Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor; Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup); Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor; and even soy sauce which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes.
Parts of this article were excerpted or quoted from http://www.raw-wisdom.com/50harmful and additional information about the dangers of GMO foods is available at http://www.naturalnews.com/gmo.html. You can also download your shopping guide at www.nongmoshoppingguide.com but even more importantly, write your US Senator and Congressman and express any concerns about the expansion of GMO in agriculture and the importance of labeling any and all GMO foods.
Article references available upon request.
|
|
|
