All About GMOs
Statement
Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs for short are engineered plants or animals that have been modified by scientists in laboratories. The reason that companies have developed this technology is to increase a plants resistance to pesticides and herbicides and for growth. Scientists have yet to understand how to effectively manipulate the DNA of animals although they have had recent success at genetically modifying fish.
The two big questions are how is this bad for me and why should I be concerned?
If you have spent anytime doing yard work then you know how powerful the herbicide, Roundup, can be. If I pour gasoline on grass it will turn brown and die within a few hours.About a week later the grass comes back green. But if I take Roundup and spray it on a different area of grass then it takes about two days for it to turn brown. About a week later it is still brown and a month later it is still brown. Based on that understanding of the toxicity of Roundup, let's take a look at corn.
Probably the most common GM food that we encounter is GM corn. The GM corn that is grown in fields is now resistant to Roundup. A recent study in France found that rats who were consistently fed GM corn had an increased risk of developing cancer, liver damage, and kidney damage. A staggering 70% of females died prematurely compared to the control group of rats who were eating non-GM corn.
The other big concern about GM food is the nutrient density of the food. A study out of Rutgers University in 1995 compared GM vegetables to organic vegetables. In this report they measured the amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, iron and copper found in both types of plants. The vegetables that were selected were snap beans, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach. The results were staggering! For example an organic tomato plant contains 23.0 mEq of calcium whereas the GM tomato plant only had 4.5 mEq of calcium.The ratio between the two is roughly 5:1.
So what does this mean? It means that every time you consume grocery store, fast food, or restaurant tomatoes then you are eating GM tomatoes which contain less calcium. The GM tomatoes also contain less of everything. Therefore they are NOT nutrient dense. This also means that your body has to eat more of the same food to achieve an acceptable amount of nutrients. So if you eat more then you will buy more food and consume more calories.
This thought brings me to my last point which is that obesity is a massive (no pun intended) problem in this country because of our corrupted food supply. And there is much evidence that links obesity to developing heart problems, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. This is causing a profound economic impact on insurance companies who provide healthcare. So what do the insurance companies do? They raise your premiums once or twice a year. It is a system that it is in failure. But Obamacare is not our healthcare savior because it is socialism. And socialism expands the force of government into your life and your pocketbook. The result will be increasing taxes on everyone.
In closing, let's educate our society about the dangers of GMOs. The politicians can help by not picking winners and losers in the agriculture marketplace which is what has been going on for years. This process has helped to build big agriculture corporations who are bent on increasing your consumption of their products which helps their bottom line but grows your bottom.
Dr. Shaun Crowell
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