Three Approved GMO Crops Linked to Organ Damage, New Study Shows

Natural News via Slasdhot ^ | 13 January 2010 | Aaron Turpen

[Fractal Trader]

Genetically Modified crops (or GM) are genetically modified organisms (GMO) that have been altered to meet a specific profile. They have also been the subject of controversy almost since their introduction two decades ago. A new study pinpoints three variations of GM corn (maize) as being linked to organ damage in mammals.

The three varieties in question are Mon 810, Mon 863, and NK 603. The "Mon" is for, you guessed it, Monsanto and the NK is also a Monsanto product, being engineered for herbicide tolerance. The study was conducted by the Committee of Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN) and the Universities of Caen and Rouen in France.1

The study used the same data that was used by Monsanto to gain approval in several parts of the world. The data was released publicly in 2005 by European authorities when the three GM strains were approved for human consumption in both the U.S. and Europe.

Gilles-Eric Seralini, a molecular biologist at the University of Caen and one of the principals in the study, says that the data "clearly underlines adverse impacts on kidneys and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, as well as different levels of damages to heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system."

Each of the three strains produced differing amounts of adverse impact, but the impact on vital organs was universal for all three GM crops.

The study was completed in December 2009 and appears in the International Journal of Biological Sciences1 (IJBS). It conforms with and substantiates an earlier study done by CRIIGEN in 2007 on Mon 863.2 The results of that study were rejected by Monsanto.3

[Fractal Trader]

Color me skeptical, but here is the original article:

A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health

http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm

[Fractal Trader]

ping

[farlander]

What a crock - another hit piece to ensure people die of hunger in the 3rd world from “climate change”.

[ClearCase_guy]

I think Monsanto is under attack. Yestersay, NPR had a report on "Roundup Ready" crops from Monsanto. Everything they said made me think that thse are great products that have a dominant market share because they are far superior products. But the overall flavor of the report was that Monsanto was bad and farmers and other companies were miffed at their dominant position.

I'm not a farmer, so maybe I'm missing something, but it sure felt like a mindless slam against a successful company.

[1Swashbuckler]

It seems orchestrated.

[PowderMonkey]

Maybe I'm missing something, but haven't we been doing this to crops since the days of Gregor Mendel and Luther Burbank?

[NewJerseyJoe]

P4L

[Haiku Guy]

I used to put corn cobs and the shucked leaves into the compost pile. No more. You can put these modern shucked corn leaves into a compost pile and pull them out two years later, and they look just the same. I don’t know what they’ve done to them, but they just don’t biodegrade anymore. All of my waste from corn on the cob goes out in the garbage, now.

[Tenniel2]

From NaturalNews?? Yep, there's a source with no ax to grind.

[rockinqsranch]

“http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm";

Incredible, Some folks can actually read that stuff, and not have their eyes glaze over.

I tried but I’m one of the eyeballs glazing over sorts.

Wondering why the font is always a tad bit smaller in any of those type of articles with a sprinkling of Latin words?

Still wondering if I should be concerned about GMO, or more so concerned for the rats.

[SolidRedState]

I used to put corn cobs and the shucked leaves into the compost pile. No more. You can put these modern shucked corn leaves into a compost pile and pull them out two years later, and they look just the same. I don’t know what they’ve done to them, but they just don’t biodegrade anymore. All of my waste from corn on the cob goes out in the garbage, now.

You can't be serious. Every acre around me for as far as the eye can see is planted to herbicide resistant corn in the summer and in the fall the shucks and leaves blow around and get stuck in my shrubs etc and I collect them and they decompose as they always have.
Your sweet corn leaves are just a little greener when you stuff them in the pile. Let them fry a while in the sun before you compost. And most likely, your sweet corn wasn't herbicide resistant anyway.

[VOA]

Link to the English version of the CRIIGEN group website
(translated by Google):

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.criigen.org/&ei=dAFOS_OgMMbilAe13qSODQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCRIIGEN%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

[Zuben Elgenubi]

You can put these modern shucked corn leaves into a compost pile and pull them out two years later, and they look just the same. I don’t know what they’ve done to them, but they just don’t biodegrade anymore. All of my waste from corn on the cob goes out in the garbage, now.

Hmmmmm, this is the first I've heard of this phenomenon. Perhaps this is why the ethanol producers are fermenting corn cobs rather than corn seed. It always sounded a bit uneconomical to use corn cobs for ethanol production. However, if it is to dispose of the persistent cob, it has value.

[pelicandriver]

We’ve been breeding various strains of plants and animals for a very long time. But GM food is different. They’re inserting genes that were not there originally rather than selecting genes that are already present.

[Chuckster]

Could this be why Monsanto stock went to five stars (Meaning it is selling at well below fair market value) on Morningstar this AM?

[LearsFool]

But the overall flavor of the report was that Monsanto was bad and farmers and other companies were miffed at their dominant position.

One complaint is the heavy-handed patent enforcement by Monsanto and others (viz. cross-pollination, etc.)

Another is the fact that much GMO seed is genetically engineered to be sterile (so-called "terminator seed") - meaning the harvested seed cannot be planted for next year's crop, as mankind has done since time began. Instead, the farmer has to purchase planting seed again and again. Essentially, this creates a subscription service for Monsanto, et al. (Not exactly a solution to third-world famine, is it?)

[algernonpj]

What Monsanto is doing is not the same as what Gregor Mendel and Luther Burbank did.

Monsanto is not selecting naturally occurring genetic variants of a plant a specific traits (e.g. natural higher yield), and specifically breeding that variant or even cross breeding it with other strains of the same plant with different traits.

Monsanto is inserting a gene for a desired trait from one plant into another, e.g. if there is a strain of peanuts that are resistant to a mold that affects a strain of corn, the peanut gene responsible for the resistance is inserted into the corn gene. GMO crops are artificially modified genetic organisms.

[Chuckster]

I would suggest you watch this documentary film on hulu or rent the DVD "The Future of Food" to get some background on GMO crops. Frightening.

[ClearCase_guy]

Thanks for the info.

If the sterile seed were a problem, I would think people would buy their seed elsewhere (or use harvested seed from last year). The fact that many farmers make the choice to use Monsanto's seeds makes me think that the farmers think it's the best thing to buy. It may have drawbacks, but it apparently beats the alternatives.

[PowderMonkey]

In other words, it's being done very precisely by guys wearing white lab coats indoors, as opposed to outdoors by guys in bib overalls...behold Luther Burbank's hellspawn the Idaho potato. Especially injurious to the health when served fried