GM foods can have massive compositional changes
Genetically modified foods have genes inserted into their DNA. But genes are not Lego's; they don’t just snap into place. Gene insertion creates unpredicted, irreversible changes. In one study, for example, a single inserted gene changed the behavior (protein expression) of as much as 5 percent of the cell’s natural genes. Not only is that huge in itself, but these changes multiply through complex interactions down the line. Hundreds of other compounds can increase, decrease, or appear for the first time. In spite of the potential for dramatic changes in the composition of GM foods, only a small number of known nutrient levels are evaluated. But even if we could identify all the changed compounds, at this point we wouldn’t know which might be responsible for the antisocial nature of mice or humans. Likewise, we are only beginning to identify the medicinal compounds in food.We now know, for example, that the pigment in blueberries may revive the brain’s neural communication system, and the antioxidant found in grape skins may fight cancer and reduce heart disease. But what about other valuable compounds we don’t know about that might change or disappear in GM varieties?
With the epidemic of obesity and diabetes and with the results in Appleton, parents and schools in the United States are waking up to the critical role that diet plays and making changes in school meals. But most don’t yet consider the risks from GM foods. Thousands of foreign schools, however, particularly in Europe, have explicitly banned GM foods. They’ve decided not to let their kids be used as guinea pigs. It’s time we in the US protect our children from GMOs as well.
