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Are GMOs bad for you?
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As a geneticist with over 25 years of biotech drug experience (and a sister who's a weed scientist for Syngenta), it's always been interesting to me how much time, money and energy is spent debating and defending the safety of food R&D, while people line up in droves to spend crazy prices for biotech drugs, and not just for life saving diseases - the top 4 best selling biotech drugs (~$40M) are for arthritis. I've always been curious how many organic, non-GMO food eaters take biotech drugs?10
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rhtexasgal wrote: »It was the exactly same variety of corn in both cases. Since my diagnosis, I have not bought foods with corn in it, especially HFCS, cereal, etc. It would set my gut off. If I somehow slip, my gut tells me in quite a rude manner! Most everything I consume is fresh and the only thing in a box I eat is pasta made from quinoa and rice. It greatly limits eating out but my health now dictates it. I still eat corn but only from one organic farmer at my local farmers market that uses heirloom organic seed and uses no chemicals or herbicides.
As a general rule, gmo varieties are not the same as conventional varieties, and are likely very different from the varieties organic farmers use, despite what they might have said. If their description was sweet corn, that is a broad category of corn varieties that encompasses both gmo and non-gmo varieties. It is likely that differences in your taste and body's reaction to the corn was a result of different levels of starch, sugar, and fiber between the variety of gmo corn and the organic corn.
There are also many other factors including planting time (non-gmo varieties are often planted at different times than gmo crops to prevent cross-breeding), fertilizers used, etc that would explain the differences between the two varieties of corn. Unfortunately, it would be extremely difficult as a consumer to get a hold of both gmo and non-gmo versions of the same variety of corn and even then you would still need to taste them double-blind to be sure your own expectations weren't biasing the results.
TL;DR I think the differences you saw in your body's reaction and the flavor might be due to other factors since gmo varieties are often very different from the varieties used by organic farmers0 -
Genetic engineering is a tool, nothing more nothing less. There is nothing inherently dangerous nor inherently safe about a product produced in part with genetic engineering. Each product would have to be evaluated independently on its own merits or concerns. Asking if a product that was in made in part using genetically engineering is dangerous because of the use of genetic engineering would be like asking if something made in part using a hammer was dangerous because of the use of a hammer. Its a non-sequitur and is honestly just a weird question to ask.
The answer is that knowing something was made using genetic engineering doesn't really tell you anything about its safety at all, good or bad.13 -
dmelvin3737 wrote: »Humans have been selectively breeding traits what we found increased yield or resistance to certain disease or allowed for less water for hundreds of years.
GMO's are nothing more than selective breeding 2.0
Genetically modified is NOT the same as selectively breeding. Selective breeding is the process of developing a plant or animal based on selecting desirable characteristics of the parent. For example, saving seed for replanting from plants within a crop that have shown to be particularly robust; or breeding a white dog with a black patch over its eye via two parents that have the same traits.
Genetically modified organisms is when genes from one species is introduced to an entirely different species by human intervention. For example a fish and a tomato (yes this was done) or a corn plant that is resistant to herbicide, so you can spray the crops to kill the weeds and not the corn.
Personally, I try to eat organic as much as possible and avoid pesticides and GMOs.8 -
So many people focus on profits increasing through the use of GMO. However, the other benefit is that the rate of food supply increase has been able to do a better job of keeping up with population growth due to these scientific methods. If the world was banned from the current food technology, there would be more people dying from starvation around the world. Efficiency in food creation helps to keep more people alive.8
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dmelvin3737 wrote: »Humans have been selectively breeding traits what we found increased yield or resistance to certain disease or allowed for less water for hundreds of years.
GMO's are nothing more than selective breeding 2.0
Genetically modified is NOT the same as selectively breeding. Selective breeding is the process of developing a plant or animal based on selecting desirable characteristics of the parent. For example, saving seed for replanting from plants within a crop that have shown to be particularly robust; or breeding a white dog with a black patch over its eye via two parents that have the same traits.
Genetically modified organisms is when genes from one species is introduced to an entirely different species by human intervention. For example a fish and a tomato (yes this was done) or a corn plant that is resistant to herbicide, so you can spray the crops to kill the weeds and not the corn.
Personally, I try to eat organic as much as possible and avoid pesticides and GMOs.
Interesting. What is your stance on genetic modification when nature does this at random?4 -
zachbonner_ wrote: »dmelvin3737 wrote: »Humans have been selectively breeding traits what we found increased yield or resistance to certain disease or allowed for less water for hundreds of years.
GMO's are nothing more than selective breeding 2.0
Genetically modified is NOT the same as selectively breeding. Selective breeding is the process of developing a plant or animal based on selecting desirable characteristics of the parent. For example, saving seed for replanting from plants within a crop that have shown to be particularly robust; or breeding a white dog with a black patch over its eye via two parents that have the same traits.
Genetically modified organisms is when genes from one species is introduced to an entirely different species by human intervention. For example a fish and a tomato (yes this was done) or a corn plant that is resistant to herbicide, so you can spray the crops to kill the weeds and not the corn.
Personally, I try to eat organic as much as possible and avoid pesticides and GMOs.
fish genes were put into tomato to protect from frost damage. it worked
corn plant resistant to herbicide increases yield, which accomplished the goal of higher yield and profits.
GMO is good.
I thought they ATTEMPTED to insert a fish gene into a tomato but weren't able to do it, either way it never made the market.
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dmelvin3737 wrote: »Humans have been selectively breeding traits what we found increased yield or resistance to certain disease or allowed for less water for hundreds of years.
GMO's are nothing more than selective breeding 2.0
Personally, I try to eat organic as much as possible and avoid pesticides and GMOs.
If you think organic means pesticide free, you are delusional or seriously mislead. Many organic approved pesticides are more harmful towards humans, less effective for their goal and require multiple sprayings.6 -
I'll just say 2 things:
1. I think seeing the trees and not the forest on this issue. Eat healthy, make good choices. You will turn out fine. Picking over labels with a fine-tooth comb is not going to make or break your health in the end.
2. As someone who knows several farmers, they tell me time and time again that unless you know the farm/farmer, their is almost a guaranteed chance your food is not 100% organic nor GMO-free. Also, the agencies that run these labeling practices are not really checking up on these claims as often as you would want. Case in point: a common practice in large-scale organic farms is to complete soak the soil in pesticides a few days before planting. Therefore, they can plant the food, not use pesticides again and claim its pesticide free. They almost have to. Farmers don't make a lot, praying that little critters don't eat you into bankruptcy is not the best business plan.5 -
I think some are and some are not. Some foods are modified with study and care and for good reasons. Some are for financial gain only and not concerned with health and safety. I think the main thing is transparency. We have a right to know what is modified and what is not on our labels.1
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I avoid GMO if I can. Do I end up eating them? Unfortunately yes because they are in almost everything and most are not labeled. I 100% believe they are harmful. Monsanto's glyphosate is in everything. I try to buy organic or GMO free if I can.
Sure the government says it's safe, but it has come out that monsanto employees have been the ones who write the studies and they slap a scientists name on it. Monsanto doesn't want to "feed the world"...they simply want to line their pockets full of money and are sacrificing our health to do it.
I have spoken to a number of horticulturist who outright say GMO are harmful. Disease and allergies have spiked in the past 10 years. I believe it is due to our food supply. Kids who have food allergies and need epi-pens are on the rise...it all has to do with our food.
This obviously is my own opinion.20 -
Obviously. Since it's not backed up by a shred of empirical evidence.8
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You can not be of the "opinion" that GMOs are bad for you. That is simply a misunderstanding or a delusion. You can be of the opinion that you think they taste worse than "natural" foods. That's subjective. But the nutritional facts of a food are an objective fact. You aren't entitled to opinions on objective facts.7
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So people should just blindly believe each other just because someone says something as fact without backing it up? You claim that they are faking studies. That's a big claim and potentially slanderous. You can't say things as fact without providing proof especially when they are controversal and damaging. If it has come out the proof should be easy for you to cite.5 -
You can not be of the "opinion" that GMOs are bad for you. That is simply a misunderstanding or a delusion. You can be of the opinion that you think they taste worse than "natural" foods. That's subjective. But the nutritional facts of a food are an objective fact. You aren't entitled to opinions on objective facts.
Yes I certainly can be of the "opinion" that GMOs are bad for you...it hasn't been proven 100% either way that they are safe or harmful, hence my stance of "I believe they are harmful". There are just as many studies that say they are harmful as those that say they are safe, so maybe you are "delusional" to think they are safe.singingflutelady wrote: »
So people should just blindly believe each other just because someone says something as fact without backing it up? You claim that they are faking studies. That's a big claim and potentially slanderous. You can't say things as fact without providing proof especially when they are controversal and damaging. If it has come out the proof should be easy for you to cite.
I don't bother backing up my "opinions" with Prof because every time I do in this forum I get told it's not scientific enough. I am not saying anything slanderous...I'm simply paraphrasing what I had read on other websites (and there are plenty).
I find it funny that you guys will blindly believe a study the government/FDA puts out, yet you condemn all others.
No where in my posting did I say people should believe what I say...I simply gave my opinion and clearly stated that at the end.10 -
You can not be of the "opinion" that GMOs are bad for you. That is simply a misunderstanding or a delusion. You can be of the opinion that you think they taste worse than "natural" foods. That's subjective. But the nutritional facts of a food are an objective fact. You aren't entitled to opinions on objective facts.
Yes I certainly can be of the "opinion" that GMOs are bad for you...it hasn't been proven 100% either way that they are safe or harmful, hence my stance of "I believe they are harmful". There are just as many studies that say they are harmful as those that say they are safe, so maybe you are "delusional" to think they are safe.singingflutelady wrote: »
So people should just blindly believe each other just because someone says something as fact without backing it up? You claim that they are faking studies. That's a big claim and potentially slanderous. You can't say things as fact without providing proof especially when they are controversal and damaging. If it has come out the proof should be easy for you to cite.
I don't bother backing up my "opinions" with Prof because every time I do in this forum I get told it's not scientific enough. I am not saying anything slanderous...I'm simply paraphrasing what I had read on other websites (and there are plenty).
I find it funny that you guys will blindly believe a study the government/FDA puts out, yet you condemn all others.
No where in my posting did I say people should believe what I say...I simply gave my opinion and clearly stated that at the end.
If you are paraphrasing other's work it's only right to give credit and say your source. Not sure why you are so hesitant to show your proof if it is so abundant and from credible sources.5 -
And claiming people are purposely faking studies and knowingly harming people without backing up your info is slanderous.6
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