The Skinny on GMOs

Biotechnology companies advanced Genetically Modified (GM) or Genetically Engineered (GE) crops on the promise they would increase crop yields. Unfortunately, recent studies point to these promises being largely empty, but while GM foods may not increase production, they are increasing something: our weight.

“The two primary GE food and feed crops are corn and soybeans. GE soybeans are now grown on over 90 percent of soybean acres, and GE corn makes up about 63 percent of the U.S. corn crop,” states the Union of Concerned Scientists in a 2009 study. “A close examination of numerous studies of corn and soybean crop yields since the early 1990s gives us a good gauge of how well GE crops are living up to their promise for increasing those yields. Bottom line: They are largely failing to do so. GE soybeans have not increased yields, and GE corn has increased yields only marginally on a crop-wide basis.”

According to the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 78 million American adults, or about 35 percent of the population, are obese. Now studies are providing evidence that consumption of GM foods is likely a contributing factor to this phenomenon.

One such study found that GM food disrupted the detoxification organs – namely, the kidneys and liver – in rats fed GM corn varieties, but was inconclusive as to whether these effects were caused by the genetic manipulation of the corn or rather the various pesticides absorbed from spraying the crops.

“Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize (corn) consumption… Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs,” according to a 2009 study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences. “Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded.”

Another more recent study linked feeding GM corn and soy to pigs with swelling of the uterus and stomach.

“A significant number of genetically modified (GM) crops have been approved to enter human food and animal feed since 1996, including crops containing several GM genes ‘stacked’ into the one plant. We randomized and fed isowean pigs either a mixed GM soy and GM corn (maize) diet (or an equivalent non-GM diet in a long-term toxicology study of 22.7 weeks (the normal lifespan of a commercial pig from weaning to slaughter),” reads a 2013 scientific study titled ‘A long-term toxicology study on pigs fed a combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet.’ “The GM diet was associated with gastric and uterine differences in pigs. GM-fed pigs had uteri that were 25 percent heavier than non-GM fed pigs. GM-fed pigs had a higher rate of severe stomach inflammation with a rate of 32 percent of GM-fed pigs compared to 12 percent of non-GM-fed pigs.”

Professor Åshild Krogdahl of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science led a ten year long study in which mice, pigs, rats and salmon were all fed GM food and were compared with control groups fed non-GM food; invariably, the groups fed GM food grew heavier, despite being fed the same quantities.

“A frequent claim has been that new genes introduced in GM food are harmless since all genes are broken up in the intestines. But our findings show that genes can be transferred through the intestinal wall into the blood; they have been found in blood, muscle tissue and liver in sufficiently large segments to be identified,” said Krogdahl in an antimedia.org article. “The biological impact of this gene transfer is unknown.”

Perhaps this is yet another instance of corporations cutting short-term expenses with consequences that are far-reaching and largely not understood: another reason to push for legislation requiring labeling of GM food.