The Repurposing Life

Concerning Facts About GMOs

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are basic food ingredients that have had DNA introduced into them using genetic engineering techniques. In this post I share some concerning facts about GMOs. The first genetically modified food approved for release was the “Flavr Savr” tomato in 1994. Developed by Calgene, it was engineered to have a longer shelf life by inserting an antisense gene that delayed ripening. The first genetically modified soybean was introduced to the U.S. market In 1996 by the Monsanto Corporation (now Bayer).

Soy Production and Safety

More than 93 percent of the corn and soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified. Genetically modified soy is present in as much as 70 percent of all food products found in U.S. supermarkets. This means that a vast majority of Americans may be putting a lot of genetically modified soy into their systems daily.

Soybeans are the second-largest U.S. crop after corn, covering about a quarter of American farmland. The U.S. grows more soybeans than any other country, except for Brazil. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 90 percent of soybeans grown each year, are genetically engineered to withstand herbicides.

Organic production of soy accounts for less than 1 percent of farmland; the remaining 9 percent are conventionally grown, but not genetically modified.

Are Soy Products Healthy

Americans don’t eat much of these legumes directly, but that doesn’t mean we’re not exposed to them. According to the U.S. Soy Board, soy accounts for 61 percent of American’s vegetable oil consumption. After harvest, the great bulk of soybeans are crushed and divided into two parts:

1. meal, which goes into feed for animals that are sold as meat; and
2. fat, most of which ends up as cooking oil or used in food products

Tofu and GMOs

Most of the world’s soybeans are currently grown in the US, and a very large proportion is genetically modified. GMOs are controversial, with some research showing them to be harmful to human health. If you’re worried about it, simply opt for non-GMO, organic tofu.

Is Canola Oil Healthy

Most canola crops are genetically modified to improve oil quality and increase plant tolerance to herbicides. In fact, over 90% of the canola crops grown in the U.S. are GMOs. Canola crops are used to create canola oil and canola meal, which is commonly used as animal feed.

Genetically Modified Milk

Most conventional milk comes from cows given supplemental feed from genetically engineered corn and soy. “Non-GMO milk” is shorthand for milk from cows that do not consume such feed.

Non-GMO Requirements Under the National Organic Program

Is Organic the Same as Non-GMO

The use of genetically modified organisms is prohibited in organic products based on OTA’s GMO Verification Factsheet. This means an organic farmer can’t plant GMO seeds, an organic cow can’t eat GMO alfalfa or corn, and an organic soup producer can’t use any GMO ingredients.

Organic is Better Than GMO

GMOs are designed to protect crops such as soybeans, corn, and canola from pests; and to withstand pesticides and herbicides. Organic foods do not contain any pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, solvents or additives.

Health Risks of GMOs

Concerns over the limitations of the procedures followed in the evaluation of GMO safety have become widespread. Animal toxicity studies with certain GM foods have shown that they may adversely affect several organs and systems. Studying the effects exerted on certain organs, rather than individually, gives a better view of the health effects on human beings.

Studies on GM foods indicate that they cause effects such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal, and reproductive toxicity. Such foods can alter the hematological, biochemical, and immunologic parameters of these organs and systems. The use of recombinant growth hormone (GH) in animals has shown to increase IGF-1, which may promote the development of cancer.

Soy and the Risk of Breast Cancer

Soy contains protein, isoflavones and fiber, all of which provide health benefits. Isoflavones are a type of plant estrogen (phytoestrogen) that functions similarly to human estrogen. Soy isoflavones can bind to estrogen receptors in the body, and cause either weak estrogenic, or anti-estrogenic activity. Soy foods were believed to increase the risk of breast cancer, because high levels of estrogen are linked to increased risk of breast cancer. However, food sources of soy don’t contain high enough levels of isoflavones to increase that risk.

The fact is, a moderate amount (1-2 servings a day) of whole-soy foods, such as tofu, soy milk and edamame does not increase risk of breast cancer. Studies show that a lifelong diet rich in soy foods reduces the risk of breast cancer in women. This protective effect is lower for women who eat less soy, or who start eating soy later in life.

Soy, and isoflavone supplements, contain higher levels of isoflavones. Some studies suggest a link between soy, or isoflavone supplements, and an increased risk of breast cancer in women with a family or personal history of breast cancer or thyroid problems.

Always talk with your doctor before taking any supplements.

Genetically Modified Soy Is Scarier Than Thought

The findings of a new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Chemistry, are worth pondering. The study shows that Monsanto’s ubiquitous “Roundup Ready” soybeans contain more herbicide residues than their non-GMO counterparts. The genetically modified beans were nutritionally inferior. In the study, the researchers looked at samples of three kinds of soybeans grown in Iowa:

1. those grown from genetically modified herbicide-tolerant seeds
2. those grown from non-genetically modified seeds and in agrichemical-based farming
3. organic soybeans, non-genetically modified and grown without agrichemicals.

GMOs and Glyphosate

They found residues of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) on all 10 of the genetically modified samples—and in none of the non-genetically modified and organic ones. As it decays, glyphosate breaks down into the chemical compound AMPA, (see my recent post on weed killers).

The GMO soy had total residues averaging 11.9 parts per million, with a maximum reading of 20.1 ppm; that average was below the Environmental Protection Agency’s limit of 20 ppm, a limit shared by the European Union. In 1999, Monsanto reported that the maximum recorded reading of glyphosate residue found on “Roundup Ready” soy, was 5.6 ppm. A level it called “extreme,” and “far higher than those typically found.”

Insidious Nature of Glyphosate

Some independent research, including a 2012 study by University of Pittsburgh scientist Rick Relyea, found that Roundup in water at 3 ppm induced morphological changes in frogs.

In a 2012 paper, German researchers subjected various bacterial strains found in the guts of poultry, to glyphosate at levels of 5 ppm and lower. They found that it harmed beneficial bacteria, like Lactobacillus. But pathogens, like Salmonella entritidi, were resistant to it. The results suggest that glyphosate can shift the balance of the gut flora—concerning, given all the research data finding the connection between the healthy bacteria in our bodies and a strong immune system.

The study also found small, but statistically significant, differences in the nutritional quality of the soybeans. The organic soybeans had slightly higher protein levels than the other two. And lower levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids showed no significant difference. Both fats, essential in human diets, must be consumed in equal ratios.

Other Exposure to Glyphosate

Furthermore, food isn’t glyphosate’s only pathway to our bodies. In a 2011 study, researchers for the US Geological Survey “frequently detected” glyphosate in surface waters, rain, and air in the Mississippi River basin.

“The consistent occurrence of glyphosate in streams and air indicates its transport from its point of use into the broader environment,” USGS stated in a press release, adding that “we know very little about its long term effects to the environment.” Charles Benbrook, a Washington State University researcher, documented the rise in glyphosate use accompanying “Roundup Ready” crops, as the highest ever for any pesticide used in the U.S.

Sources:
How widespread are GM foods?
https://www.vox.com/2014/11/3/18092748/how-widespread-are-gm-foods
Jul 22, 2015
Bean Accounting: Are Soy-Based Food Products as Safe and Healthy as Advertised?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-safe-is-soy/
May 11, 2011
How has Soybeans been genetically modified?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_soybean
Non-GMO Requirements under the National Organic Program
OTA’s Fact Sheet on Non-GMO Verification
Does organic mean non GMO?
https://ota.com/sites/default/files/indexed_files/OTA_Non-GMOVerification_FactSheet.pdf
United States Department of Agriculture
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/05/17/organic-101-can-gmos-be-used-organic-products
Published May 17, 2013 Updated Feb 21, 2017
Is Canola Oil Good for You, or Bad?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-canola-oil-healthy
Feb 7, 2019
Is all tofu GMO?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-tofu
Dec 13, 2018
What is GMO milk?
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Non-GMO-milk-label-angers-some-farmers-9240037.php
Sep 22, 2016
Why is organic better than GMO?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amway/2019/12/19/whats-the-real-difference-between-organic-and-gmo/
Dec 19, 2019
Why is organic better than GMO?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amway/2019/12/19/whats-the-real-difference-between-organic-and-gmo/
Dec 19, 2019
What was the first genetically modified food?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food
US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Feb. 2009
Health risks of genetically modified foods
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18989835
Monsanto GM Soy Is Scarier Than You Think
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/04/superweeds-arent-only-trouble-gmo-soy/
Soy
https://www.nongmoproject.org/high–risk/soy/
Will eating soy increase my risk of breast cancer?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/soy-breast-cancer-risk/faq-20120377
by Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.