Just Say No to GMO’s
Sowing the Seeds of Deception - Part 1
By Jeffrey M. Smith – Extraordinary Health Article
 As
a company,
Garden of Life cannot be silent on this topic. We’re committed to
procuring raw materials that are non-GMO. As a pioneer in the raw, whole
food supplement movement, we feel that you, our consumers, are best
served by this policy. We are more than a supplement company, though,
and we believe that knowledge is foremost in attaining better health.
Therefore, you should be well-informed about GM foods. That’s why we’ve
asked Jeffrey M. Smith to share his insight into what’s happening in the
world of GM foods.
Jeffrey M. Smith is the international bestselling
author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette: The Documented
Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. He is at the forefront
of the debate on GM crops. In the first of this two-part special series,
he reveals the shocking truth behind GM foods and the huge effort by
governments and biotech corporations to keep information out of the
mainstream media—and outside of your awareness.
Big Biotech claims that genetic engineering is a
necessary step towards feeding the world’s growing population, yet
debate still rages as to whether genetically modified (GM) crops
actually increase yields at all. In fact, the United Nations recently
stated that 30,000 people a day were starving to death, but not because
of underproduction of crops. They’re starving due to lack of access to
food.
The GM foods debate is nothing new. Independent
scientific studies raised serious questions about the safety of GM foods
over a decade ago. While this made front-page headlines in European
newspapers, the North American mainstream media were uncannily silent.
They look the same—the bread, pies, beverages, and
even corn on the cob—but so much of what we eat every day only looks
just like it did 20 years ago. They’re not the same, though, because our
food has been unhealthily altered without our knowledge or consent.
Leading doctors have expressed their concern about this food overhaul.
They say that what we don’t know may already be hurting us big time.
In fact, the American Academy of Environmental
Medicine (AAEM) has publicly condemned genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
in our food supply, saying they pose “a serious health risk.” As a
result, they called on the U.S. government to implement an immediate
moratorium on all genetically modified (GM) foods and urged physicians
to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients.
GM…What?
Perhaps not everyone is familiar with GM foods. For
starters, genetic engineering is quite distinct from selective breeding
because it involves taking genes from a completely different species and
inserting them into the DNA of a plant or animal. The long term effects
of this for our health and our planet’s biodiversity are unknown— and
that’s cause for concern.
Fortunately, in the past, there have been institutions
tracking unhealthy trends. For example, AAEM, an “Academy of Firsts,”
was the first U.S. medical organization to describe or acknowledge Gulf
War Syndrome, chemical sensitivity, food allergy/addiction, and a host
of other medical issues. Unfortunately, the potential for harm from GMOs
dwarfs anything they have identified thus far. The harsh reality is that
GMOs can impact anyone who eats—in other words: everyone.
Here’s part of what we’re all facing: More than 70% of
the foods on supermarket shelves contain derivatives of the eight GM
foods on the market—soy, corn, oil from canola and cottonseed, sugar
from sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, and a small amount of zucchini and
crook neck squash. It doesn’t stop there, though.
The biotech industry hopes to genetically engineer
virtually all remaining vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, and even
animals.
You will be interested to know that there are two
primary reasons why plants are engineered: to allow them to either drink
poison or to produce poison. The poison drinkers are called herbicide
tolerant. They’re inserted with bacterial genes that allow them to
survive otherwise deadly doses of toxic herbicide.
Biotech companies sell the seed and herbicide as a
package deal, and U.S. farmers use hundreds of millions of pounds more
herbicide because of these types of GM crops. The poison producers are
called Bt crops. Inserted genes produce an insect-killing pesticide
called Bt-toxin in every cell of the plant. Not surprisingly, both
classes of GM crops are linked to dangerous side effects.
Doctors and Patients: Just Say No to GMOs
 “Now
that soy is genetically engineered,” warns Ohio allergist Dr. John
Boyles, “it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.” So, how
dangerous are GM foods? World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava,
PhD, believes they are the major reason for the recent rise in serious
illnesses in the U.S.
The range of what GMOs might do to us is breathtaking
and mortifying. The AAEM reveals a long list of disorders associated
with GMOs: “Several animal studies indicate infertility, immune
dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with
cholesterol synthesis, [faulty] insulin regulation, cell signaling, and
protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and
gastrointestinal system,” they say.
“There is more than a casual association between GM
foods and adverse health,” says the AAEM position paper. Based on
established scientific criteria, “there is causation.”
Difficulty Tracing GMO Damage
Outside the carefully controlled laboratory setting,
it is more difficult to confidently assign GMOs as the cause for a
particular set of diseases, especially since there are no human clinical
trials and no agency that even attempts to monitor GMO-related health
problems among the population. “If there are problems,” says biologist
David Schubert, PhD, of the Salk Institute, “we will probably never know
because the cause will not be traceable and many diseases take a very
long time to develop.”
We do know, however, that GM crops were widely
introduced in 1996. Within nine years, the incidence of people in the
U.S. with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled—from 7% to 13%.
Visits to the emergency room due to allergies doubled from 1997 to 2002,
and overall food-related illnesses doubled from 1994 to 2001, according
to the Centers for Disease Control. Obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal
disorders, and autism are also among the conditions that are
skyrocketing in the U.S.
The Lyme Induced Autism (LIA) Foundation, a patient
advocacy group, is not waiting for studies to prove that GMOs cause or
worsen Lyme, autism, and the many other diseases on the rise since
gene-spliced foods were introduced. Like AAEM, the LIA Foundation says
there is more than enough evidence of harm in animal feeding studies for
them to “urge doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets” and for “individuals,
especially those with autism, Lyme disease, and associated conditions,
to avoid” GM foods.
Another patient group—those suffering from
eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS) — is more confident about the GMO
origins of their particular disease. It was caused by a genetically
engineered brand of a food supplement called L-Tryptophan in the late
1980s. It killed about 100 Americans and caused 5,000 to 10,000 people
to fall sick or become permanently disabled. The characteristics of EMS
made it much easier for authorities to identify the epidemic and its
cause. It affected only those who consumed the pills, symptoms came on
almost immediately, and its effects were horrific—including unbearable
pain and paralysis. There was even a unique, easy to-measure change in
the white blood cell count. Interestingly, even though EMS was
practically screaming to be discovered, it still took the medical
community more than four years to diagnose the disorder—and it was
almost missed.
What may be the most troubling is that humans are
being forced to take part in this GMO deception. Renowned Canadian
geneticist David Suzuki sums it up this way: “The experiments simply
haven’t been done and we now have become the guinea pigs.”
If that’s not enough to disturb your thinking,
consider this: What if the GMOs throughout our food supply are creating
common diseases which come on slowly? In that case, it would be nearly
impossible to confirm GMOs as the cause. “Physicians are probably seeing
the effects in their patients,” says AAEM president Dr. Jennifer
Armstrong, “but need to know how to ask the right questions.” What’s
more is that we might be allowing GMOs to shortchange the next
generation because the people at greatest risk are the very young.
“Children are the most likely to be adversely affected by toxins and
other dietary problems related to GM foods,” says Dr. Schubert. They
become “the experimental animals” — sadly, our collective canaries in
the coal mine.
Warnings by Government Scientists Ignored and Denied
The onset of GMOs have not gone without warning,
though. Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent up the
flare about all these problems back in the early 1990s. According to
secret documents made public from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at
the agency was that GM foods were inherently dangerous and might create
hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, new “super” diseases and nutritional
problems. Scientists urged their superiors to require rigorous long-term
tests, but the White House ordered the agency to promote biotechnology.
The FDA responded by recruiting Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s (a biotech
company’s) former attorney, to head up formation of GMO policy. That
policy, which is in effect today, denies knowledge of the scientists’
concerns and declares that no safety studies on GMOs are required. It is
up to Monsanto and the other biotech companies—who have a long history
of lying about the toxicity of their earlier products—to determine if
their own foods are safe.
After overseeing GMO policy at the FDA, Mr. Taylor
worked on GMO issues at the USDA and then later became Monsanto’s vice
president. In the summer of 2009, he went through the revolving door
again: Taylor was appointed by the Obama administration as the de facto
U.S. food safety czar at the FDA.
Dangerously Few Studies; untraceable Diseases
“Where is the scientific evidence showing that GM
plants/food are toxicologically safe, as assumed by the biotechnology
companies?” This was the concluding question posed in a 2007 review of
published scientific literature on the health risks of GM plants,
showing that the number of studies and available data are “very scarce.”
To reiterate, Canadian geneticist David Suzuki
emphasizes that experiments have not been done and that we—humans—are
the proverbial guinea pigs in this GM foods venture. Suzuki adds,
“Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,’ is either
unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying.”
When consumers realize the dangers of GM foods and
that the FDA has abdicated its responsibility to protect us, they
usually want to opt out of this massive feeding experiment. In fact,
most Americans already say they would avoid GMO brands if given a
choice.
The good news is that it wouldn’t take a majority of
us to kick GMOs out of our food supply. Kraft and other food companies
wouldn’t wait until half their market share is gone before telling their
suppliers to switch to the non-GM corn, soy, etc. By using GM
ingredients, they don’t offer customers a single advantage. The food
doesn’t taste better, last longer or have more nutrients. Thus, if even
a tiny percentage of U.S. consumers—say 5%, or 15 million people—
started avoiding GMO brands, the millions in lost sales revenue would
likely force brands to remove all GM ingredients, like they already have
in Europe.
But the FDA doesn’t want to give us the choice. They
ignore the wishes of nine out of ten Americans for mandatory GMO
labeling in order to promote the economic interests of just five biotech
companies.
The Shocking Evidence of Harm from GMOs
 Genetically
modified (GM) foods have not been scientifically tested on human beings.
(The only published human feeding study had ominous results, which
you’ll see in part two of this series.) Instead, animals are used as our
surrogates; but, the few published animal safety studies are generally
short-term and superficial. In fact, industry funded research is widely
criticized as being designed to avoid finding problems. You might say
they’ve got bad science…down to a science. Even still, the accumulated
evidence of harm is compelling people to read ingredient labels and
avoid brands with genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
 See
Part 2 of this article in the link below to learn more about
the dangers of GMO foods and what you can do to protect your health— and
the health of your loved ones. Meats, dairy products, farmed fish, and
eggs are usually from animals fed GM feed. To avoid GMO’s buy CERTIFIED
ORGANIC foods.
Say No to GMO’s –
Part 2 - Seeds of Deception By Jeffrey M. Smith – Extraordinary Health
Article
Notes from Christine:
At Christine’s Cleanse Corner, Inc. we recommend and
carry only whole-food supplements from nutritional suppliers that use
only non-GMO and/or certified organic ingredients like
Garden of Life, Mt. Capra and New Chapter.
Garden of Life’s commitment to health goes beyond offering some of
the most effective nutritional products in the world. Garden of Life is
committed to using only raw and/or whole food sources of materials and
nutrients, from organically grown and/or non-GMO sources because it is
much more beneficial for health.
Mt. Capra’s whole food nutritional products and raw materials are
also certified to be free of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s).
 New
Chapter became the first vitamins & supplement company verified by
the Non-GMO Project: New Chapter proudly announces that its
multivitamins are the first in the nation to achieve Non-GMO Project
Verification. New Chapter has long been committed to rooting out
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and is now demonstrating that
commitment by pursuing Non-GMO Project verification for its entire line
of whole-food vitamins, minerals and herbs.
Over 75% of New Chapter’s products have already been granted Verified
status by the Non-GMO Project.
New
Chapter is the first and only vitamin and supplement company to
have achieved this extraordinary breadth of verification. New Chapter is
proud to be the leading advocate of the non-GMO movement within the
dietary supplement industry.
The process of genetic modification, which takes place in a laboratory,
typically merges DNA from different species, creating combinations of
plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or
in traditional crossbreeding. With studies increasingly showing a
correlation between consumption of GMOs and an array of health risks and
with U.S. consumer confidence shaken by ongoing food safety failures,
distrust of GMOs is growing. As a result, more and more consumers are
seeking non-GMO choices. New Chapter is committed to meeting the demand
for safe, healthy, non-GMO vitamins and supplements.
The Non-GMO Project offers North America’s only third party non-GMO
verification. The Project was created by natural food retailers in
response to consumer concerns, and is a non-profit organization
committed to providing consumers with clearly labeled and independently
verified non-GMO choices.
“Consumers take vitamins and supplements expressly for
their health,” said Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO
Project. “It is therefore especially important that these products be
made from safe, healthy, non-GMO ingredients. New Chapter is a pioneer
in this regard, and is an inspiring example for the vitamin and
supplement industry.”
New
Chapter has always
been committed to quality when it comes to choosing the ingredients used
in its products. They were the first company to produce a full line of
whole-food complexed vitamins and minerals certified to be made with
organic ingredients. “Enrolling all of our products in the Non-GMO
Project reflects our obedience to best practices for GMO avoidance. It
is our continuous commitment to deliver the Wisdom of Nature in all our
dietary supplements, with organic integrity and genetic honesty “said
Tom Newmark, CEO of New Chapter.
Additional Resources:
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