Liver and other organ damage
Lab animals fed GM food have showed damage to virtually every system studied. They displayed stunted growth; bleeding stomachs; abnormal and potentially precancerous cell growth in the intestines; impaired blood cell development; misshapen cell structures in the liver, pancreas, and testicles; altered gene expression and cell metabolism; liver and kidney lesions; partially atrophied livers; inflamed kidneys; less developed brains and testicles; enlarged livers, pancreases, and intestines; reduced digestive enzymes; higher blood sugar; increased death rates; higher offspring mortality; and immune system dysfunction.
A 2010 European study reported in the International Journal of Biological Sciences showed health impacts on the liver, kidneys and other organs from three varieties of Monsanto's GE corn. Researchers from Caen and Rouen Universities and the EU Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering found that for all three types of Monsanto's corn, the kidneys and liver — organs that react to poisoning — revealed problems. All three GE corn varieties (Mon810, MON863 and NK603) are approved by the USDA.
In 2005, the “Independent” newspaper in Britain reported that secret research by Monsanto showed that rats fed GE corn had smaller kidneys and higher levels of white blood cells and lymphocytes compared to rats fed non-GE food. Monsanto had refused to release its full 1,139-page report. But a European court ordered Monsanto to release it for publication, under a law ensuring public access to documents on GE risks.
The state of the liver — a main detoxifier for the body — is a key indicator of toxins.
- Rats fed potatoes engineered with the GNA lectin (to produce an insecticide) had smaller and partly atrophied livers.8
- Rats fed Monsanto's Mon 863 corn, engineered to produce Bt-toxin, had liver lesions and other indications of toxicity.9
- Rabbits fed GM soy showed altered enzyme production in their livers as well as higher metabolic activity.10
- The livers of rats fed Roundup Ready canola were 12 to 16 percent heavier, possibly due to liver disease or inflammation.11
- Microscopic analysis of the livers of mice fed Roundup Ready soybeans revealed altered gene expression and structural and functional changes.12 Many of these changes reversed after the mice diet was switched to non-GM soy, indicating that GM soy was the culprit.
The findings, according to molecular geneticist Michael Antoniou, Ph.D., "are not random and must reflect some 'insult' on the liver by the GM soy." Antoniou, who does human gene therapy research at King's College London, said that although the long-term consequences of the GM soy diet are not known, it "could lead to liver damage and consequently general toxemia."13
For more information, see the Institute for Responsible Technology. The director, Jeffrey M. Smith, is the author of “Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods” and “Seeds of Deception.”
References
- 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.
- 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 www.monsanto.com/monsanto/content/sci_tech/prod_safety/fullratstudy.pdf
- R. Tudisco, P. Lombardi, F. Bovera, D. d'Angelo, M. I. Cutrignelli, V. Mastellone, V. Terzi, L. Avallone, F. Infascelli, "Genetically Modified Soya Bean in Rabbit Feeding: Detection of DNA Fragments and Evaluation of Metabolic Effects by Enzymatic Analysis," Animal Science 82 (2006): 193-199.
- Comments to ANZFA about Applications A346, A362 and A363 from the Food Legislation and Regulation Advisory Group (FLRAG) of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) on behalf of the PHAA, "Food produced from glyphosate-tolerant canola line GT73," www.iher.org.au/
- M. Malatesta, C. Caporaloni, S. Gavaudan, M. B. Rocchi, S. Serafini, C. Tiberi, G. Gazzanelli, "Ultrastructural Morphometrical and Immunocytochemical Analyses of Hepatocyte Nuclei from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean," Cell Struct Funct. 27 (2002): 173-180
- Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, Yes! Books, Fairfield, IA USA 2007