Genetically Modified Corn

I recently received an email from a website that I subscribed to. Here is the headline that caught my eye:

GM Corn Shown to Cause Organ Failure

If you are into healthy eating or health foods like I am you should be concerned by this. Even if you’re not into eating right you should be concerned by this.

Here’s the deal. A study by the International Journal of Biological Sciences was done on three genetically modified corn crops produced by Monsanto: Mon 863, Mon 810 and NK 603.

The results do not look promising for consumers. The study is a bit hard to read but here are a few quotes from it so that you get the idea:

“Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM [corn] type.”

“…some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted.”

“…our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity.”

So what the heck is hepatorenal toxicity?!? Thanks to wikipedia I now know:

“Hepatorenal syndrome (often abbreviated HRS) is a life-threatening medical condition that consists of rapid deterioration in kidney function in individuals with cirrhosis or fulminant liver failure. HRS is usually fatal unless a liver transplant is performed, although various treatments, such as dialysis, can prevent advancement of the condition.”

You can also get hepatorenal toxicity from sniffing spot remover. Good to know isn’t it?

Another study was done by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Here is a short quote from this study:

“…MON810 maize induced alterations in the percentage of T and B cells…”

The Austrian ministry also had this to say about GM corn:

“Consumption of genetically modified corn may lead to infertility…”

But the FDA protects us from this kind of stuff…Right?!? Well it’s supposed to but in this case…no, it’s not. The FDA has decided to just take the word of the producer, Monsanto, that the GM corn is safe for human consumption. This preliminary study seems to suggest otherwise..

So what can YOU do about it? The easiest and most convenient thing for you to do is to sign this petition that will be sent to the FDA commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg. That and pass this information around so that everyone is informed.

If you have any comments or thoughts on this please post them below!

** To be fair, Monsanto refutes the findings of the IJBS and has posted a response to it here. My view is still to error on the side of caution though.

Tagged as: Corn, FDA, FDA Commissioner, GM, hepatorenal toxicity, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, International Journal of Biological Sciences, Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, Margaret A. Hamburg, Mon 810, Mon 863, NK 603