Study Reveals Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure

In a new 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.

“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.”

In 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.”

In a response  to the study, Monsanto stated 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.”

Harvard: Daily multivitamin Is Nutrition Insurance

In spite of a recent study suggesting that taking a daily multivitamin may do more harm than good, HSPH researchers say that may not be the case, especially for people who don’t eat a healthful diet. A daily multivitamin pill offers a safe and simple dose of essential micronutrients. Nearly 40 percent of adults in the U.S. take a multivitamin to ensure good health. (1) A recent study in Iowa women suggests that this daily habit may be doing more harm than good. (2) A closer look, however, reveals major flaws in the study—and offers reassurance that taking a daily multivitamin may still be a smart move.

The precise requirements for various vitamins have been controversial since their discovery in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The early recommendations were based on the amounts needed to avoid so-called diseases of deficiency such as scurvy (too little vitamin C), beri-beri (too little vitamin B1), pellagra (too little vitamin B3), and rickets (too little vitamin D). Ongoing research suggests a broader role for vitamins. Work by Dr. Bruce N. Ames of the University of California, Berkeley, and others shows that deficiencies in many micronutrients can lead to damage to DNA, the essential “blueprint” of each cell. (3) Such damage can cause or accelerate aging-related conditions. (4) This would make chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease, vision loss, and a host of others a new type of deficiency disease.

Consuming canned soup linked to elevated levels of chemical BPA

Consuming canned soup linked to elevated levels of chemical BPA

A new study from HSPH researchers has found that a group of volunteers who consumed a serving of canned soup each day for five days had a more than 1,000% increase in urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations compared with when the same individuals consumed fresh soup daily for five days.