{"id":5966,"date":"2010-04-03T22:18:58","date_gmt":"2010-04-04T02:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2010\/04\/the-dangers-of-genetically-modified-foods.html"},"modified":"2017-11-29T10:13:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T15:13:07","slug":"the-dangers-of-genetically-modified-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2010\/04\/the-dangers-of-genetically-modified-foods\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There is a big issue in our food supply that is commonly ignored- it is genetically modified (GM) foods. Jeffrey Smith, is a world authority on GM foods and has been spreading the word for years. Smith feels once consumers learn of the harms of GM foods, they can put a stop to it through speaking with their pocketbook.<\/div>\n
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The World Health Organization<\/a><\/u> reports the following:<\/div>\n
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While theoretical discussions have covered a broad range of aspects, the three main issues debated are tendencies to provoke allergic reaction (allergenicity), gene transfer and outcrossing.<\/i><\/div>\n

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Allergenicity. As a matter of principle, the transfer of genes from commonly allergenic foods is discouraged unless it can be demonstrated that the protein product of the transferred gene is not allergenic. While traditionally developed foods are not generally tested for allergenicity, protocols for tests for GM foods have been evaluated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and WHO. No allergic effects have been found relative to GM foods currently on the market.<\/i><\/div>\n

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Gene transfer. Gene transfer from GM foods to cells of the body or to bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract would cause concern if the transferred genetic material adversely affects human health. This would be particularly relevant if antibiotic resistance genes, used in creating GMOs, were to be transferred. Although the probability of transfer is low, the use of technology without antibiotic resistance genes has been encouraged by a recent FAO\/WHO expert panel.<\/i><\/div>\n

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Outcrossing. The movement of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild (referred to as “outcrossing”), as well as the mixing of crops derived from conventional seeds with those grown using GM crops, may have an indirect effect on food safety and food security. This risk is real, as was shown when traces of a maize type which was only approved for feed use appeared in maize products for human consumption in the United States of America. Several countries have adopted strategies to reduce mixing, including a clear separation of the fields within which GM crops and conventional crops are grown.<\/i><\/div>\n

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Feasibility and methods for post-marketing monitoring of GM food products, for the continued surveillance of the safety of GM food products, are under discussion.<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Smith argues this isn’t the full picture. His summary of the harms of GM foods are found in an interview with Dr. Mercola <\/a>and include:<\/div>\n

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…an Italian study where they fed BT corn to mice. As a result, the mice expressed a wide <\/i>variety of immune responses commonly associated with diseases such as:<\/i><\/div>\n
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