Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals REPOST FROM HUFFINGTON POST

Huffington Post  Katherine Goldstein/Gazelle Emami  First Posted: 01/12/10 05:30 PM Updated: 03/18/10 05:12 AM

Read More: Food, Food Politics, Gilles-Eric Seralini, GMO Corn, Gmos, International Journal Of Biological Sciences, Monsanto, Monsanto Corn, Monsanto Corn Organ Damage, Monsanto Gm Corn, Monsanto Gmo Corn, National Food Safety, Study Links Monsanto Gm Corn To Organ Failure, The Global Report, Twilight Earth, University Of Caen, Green News

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.
According to the study, which was summarized by Rady Ananda at Food Freedom, "Three varieties of Monsanto's GM corn - Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 - were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities."
Monsanto gathered its own crude statistical data after conducting a 90-day study, even though chronic problems can rarely be found after 90 days, and concluded that the corn was safe for consumption. The stamp of approval may have been premature, however.
In the conclusion of the IJBS study, researchers wrote:

"Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted. As there normally exists sex differences in liver and kidney metabolism, the highly statistically significant disturbances in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats, cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed by others. We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity....These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown."

Monsanto has immediately responded to the study, stating that the research is "based on faulty analytical methods and reasoning and do not call into question the safety findings for these products."
The IJBS study's author Gilles-Eric Séralini responded to the Monsanto statement on the blog, Food Freedom, "Our study contradicts Monsanto conclusions because Monsanto systematically neglects significant health effects in mammals that are different in males and females eating GMOs, or not proportional to the dose. This is a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health. This is the major conclusion revealed by our work, the only careful reanalysis of Monsanto crude statistical data."

Study: Pesticides, toxins can absorb directly into crops through soil REPOSTED FROM PRISION PLANET

REPOST
Jonathan Benson,
Natural News
April 4, 2011
A recent study put forth by Nanjing Agricultural University and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China provides further insight into the delicate relationship between plants and the soil in which they are grown. An experiment involving ryegrass shed light on how environmental toxins, chemical pesticides, and other pollutants are fully capable of absorbing directly into plants and distributing throughout plant cells.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is the general name given to a variety of contaminant byproducts that result from activities like burning coal and oil, and barbecuing and blackening meats. Scientists also intentionally manufacture and use these chemicals to make artificial dyes, plastics, pharmaceutical drugs, and pesticides.
Tests involving acenaphthene, a specific type of PAH that is a constituent of coal tar, revealed that the chemical binds fairly easily to soil solids. Since PAHs do not easily break down in the presence of water, they also tend to settle in waterways. And when normal soil pathogens found on the roots of ryegrass become contaminated with acenaphthene, the end result is the direct uptake and spread of the chemical throughout the cellular system of the plant.
So not only are PAHs an external threat that pollute air and water, but now they are known to be an internal threat that invade and permeate the very structure of plants. The implications of this are clearly devastating, as the very integrity of plants and food crops is compromised by continual exposure to these and other toxic chemicals.



The ryegrass test was just one of many that Yanzheng Gao and his colleagues plan to conduct on pollutants, soil, and plants, but it highlights the important reality of how soil composition plays a crucial role in plant health. If ryegrass so easily absorbs chemical toxins found in soil, then it is safe to assume that conventional food crops doused in chemical pesticides are most likely doing the exact same thing — and millions of people are consuming food made from these crops every single day!
According to reports, prenatal exposure to PAHs can result in low birth weight, premature delivery, heart malformations, low IQ and childhood asthma. Long-term exposure as an adult can cause lung damage, kidney dysfunction, liver problems, and skin disorders.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea…
Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/031949_pesticides_toxins.html#ixzz1IYXM2Q21

 

You are What you Eat

Food is any substance ^[1] that is consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, and/or stimulate growth.

The purpose of food consumption is for nutritional support to maintain life, produce energy and grow.  Sometimes I think we need to be reminded of this.  Also, what we eat is assimilated into every single one of our cells.  Cells are the basic units of life, also known as the building blocks of life.  Each person is made up of 100 trillion cells.  Each one of those cells contains DNA If you understand that what we eat (nevermind what we are exposed to) is absorbed on a cellular level, it isn't hard to understand that if the food we eat is contaminated may it be by pesticides and or genetically modified food, also known as GMOs that our bodies become contaminated.  "Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals. According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides.^[2][3]"


Genetically Modified Food has also been linked to organ failure in lab tests.

Not that long ago, food was the way nature intended.  Predating GMOs and pesticide use.  None of this happened overnight, slowly we as a society have been changing our views and relationships with food.  Accepting Nutrition Facts measurement to determine what is "good" and "bad" has depleted our own expectations of what food is.  I don't think that most people fully understand that food is not the way it used to be, you used to not have to think about choosing something healthy.  Healthy food should be a necessity not a luxury.

What is Genetically Modified Food?

Genetically Modified Food, also referred to as GMOs, "Genetically modified foods (or GM foods) are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques."

GM foods were first introduced into the food markets in the 1990s without labeling or warnings to the consumers.  Still 20 years later, there is no labeling, however it is pretty certain that anything containing wheat, corn or soy that is not labeled USDA organic is a GM food.  You can always call the manufacturer of the foods you are eating and ask.  I first learned of GM foods in a food science class at Rutgers University in 2000.  I didn't believe it was true.  I raised my hand in class and asked, "so my Cheerios are genetically modified?" the teacher said, "yes".  I went home, got out the box, called General Mills and asked.  They told me all wheat was genetically modified (which it is not all wheat, just all the wheat they used).  I was horrified that a decision had been made for me without my knowing.  I started researching for my own information and have decided to share along the way.  I am not an expert, just a person who strives to be healthy and make informed consumer decisions about what goes into my body.  I welcome any information anyone has to add.  Some people don't feel horrified at the idea, and that is their right. Some people have no idea or have never considered that there is anything wrong with the food sources.  It isn't as if this information is readily available, although the topic has become more popular over the years. However, I believe people have a right to know and make that decision for themselves.  Once you know, you cannot not know.

Knowing where your food comes from is the best way to make informed decisions about what you put in you and your families bodies.  Can it be more expensive?  Sure, but it is only the most important thing.  I look at it this way, I can pay for food to be the way nature intended it to be and support a growing movement of awareness, or I can pay for some pharmaceutical patch later on with a myriad of side effects and unknowns on how those chemicals effect my wellness.