GM foods may cause allergies
Allergic reactions occur when the immune system interprets something as foreign, different and offensive, and reacts accordingly. All GM foods, by definition, have something foreign and different. Several studies show they provoke reactions.
Rats fed Monsanto's GM corn, for example, had a significant increase in blood cells related to the immune system.23 GM potatoes caused the immune system of rats to respond more slowly.24 And, a harmless protein transformed into a potentially deadly allergen when produced within GM peas.25
Although the potatoes and peas were not commercialized, they had passed the superficial tests normally used to approve most GM crops. Those that did make it to the market, however, may be triggering immune responses in the unsuspecting population.
Soy allergies doubled after GM soy was introduced into UK
Soon after GM soy was introduced into the UK, researchers at the York Laboratory reported that allergies to soy skyrocketed by 50 percent in a single year. Although no follow-up studies were done, there are many ways in which genetic engineering could be the culprit.
Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" GM soy accounts for 89 percent of the soy acreage planted in the United States. A foreign gene from bacteria (with parts of virus and petunia DNA) is inserted, which allows the plant to survive applications of the otherwise deadly Roundup herbicide.
Because people usually aren't allergic to a food until they've eaten it several times, we don't know in advance if the protein produced by bacteria (which never has been part of the human food supply) will provoke a reaction.
As a precaution, scientists compare the amino acid sequence of the novel protein with a database of known allergens. If there's a match — according to criteria recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and others — the GM crop either should not be commercialized or additional testing should be done.
Sections of the protein produced in GM soy are identical to known allergens, but the soybean was introduced before WHO criteria were established and the recommended additional tests were not conducted.
To make matters worse, the only published human feeding study on GM foods verified that portions of the gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of human gut bacteria. This means that years after people stop eating GM soy, their bodies still may be exposed to its potentially allergenic protein, which might be produced continuously from inside their intestines.
GM soy has new (or more) allergens
Although biotech advocates describe genes like Legos that cleanly snap into place, the process of creating a GM crop can produce massive collateral damage in plant DNA. Native genes can be mutated, deleted, permanently turned on or off, and hundreds may change their levels of protein expression. The result may be an increase of an existing allergen or production of a completely new one. Both appear to have happened in GM soy.
Levels of one soy allergen, trypsin inhibitor, were as much as seven times higher in cooked GM soy compared to a non-GM control.26 Another study verified that GM soybeans contain a unique, unexpected protein, not found in controls. Moreover, it reacts with IgE antibodies, suggesting that it may provoke dangerous allergic reactions. The same study revealed that one human subject showed a skin prick immune response only to GM soy, but not to natural soy.
In addition, a protein in natural soy cross-reacts with peanut allergies.27 That means that soy may trigger reactions in some people who are allergic to peanuts. This cross-reactivity could theoretically increase in GM varieties. Thus, the doubling of U.S. peanut allergies in the five years immediately after GM soy was introduced might not be a coincidence.
GM soy might impede digestion, leading to widespread allergies
GM soy also produces an unpredicted side effect in the pancreas of mice — production of digestive enzymes is dramatically reduced. If fewer enzymes cause food proteins to breakdown more slowly, there is more time for allergic reactions to take place. Thus, digestive problems from GM soy might promote allergic reactions to a wide range of proteins, not just to soy.
References
23. John M. Burns, "13-Week Dietary Subchronic Comparison Study with MON 863 Corn in Rats Preceded by a 1-Week Baseline Food Consumption Determination with PMI Certified Rodent Diet #5002," December 17, 2002 http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/content/sci_tech/prod_safety/fullratstudy.pdf, see also Stéphane Foucart, "Controversy Surrounds a GMO," Le Monde, 14 December 2004; and Jeffrey M. Smith, "Genetically Modified Corn Study Reveals Health Damage and Cover-up," Spilling the Beans, June 2005, http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Newsletter/June05GMCornHealthDangerExposed/index.cfm
24. Arpad Pusztai, "Can science give us the tools for recognizing possible health risks of GM food," Nutrition and Health, 2002, Vol 16 Pp 73-84
25. V. E. Prescott, et al, "Transgenic Expression of Bean r-Amylase Inhibitor in Peas Results in Altered Structure and Immunogenicity," Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry (2005): 53.
26. Stephen R. Padgette et al, "The Composition of Glyphosate-Tolerant Soybean Seeds Is Equivalent to That of Conventional Soybeans," The Journal of Nutrition 126, no. 4, (April 1996); including data in the journal archives from the same study.
27. See for example, Scott H. Sicherer et al., "Prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the United States determined by means of a random digit dial telephone survey: A 5-year follow-up study," Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, March 2003, vol. 112, n 6, 1203-1207); and Ricki Helm et al., "Hypoallergenic Foods-Soybeans and Peanuts," Information Systems for Biotechnology News Report, October 1, 2002.
This section on Consumer Health Concerns from genetically modified food crops is derived entirely from the work by Jeffrey M. Smith, director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and author of “Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods” and “Seeds of Deception.” www.responsibletechnology.org
