This is forwarded by Mercola, and it's a pretty horrible and riveting read. I wonder whether anyone here is in a position to verify any parts of it?
The gist is that in animal studies (hamster and rat) GMO soy is causing sterility by the third generation.
It also mentions that, if I read right, 90% of the soy grown in the US is GMO, the same variety as was used in the studies.
Toward the end is a summary of GMO crops "at your supermarket today" (US, anyway).
Then there is this inspiring paragraph:
Tipping Point… If Europe Did it, the US Can Too!
And followed by
More Educational Material
Read, forward, and let's raise the roof!
Oh, and if anyone finds any reason that this might not be legit, please pass that on too. I am assuming Mercola to be a credible source...
Living here in the Land of Corn and Soy, I feel bad for the soybean farmers. But not bad enough to let them unwittingly sterilize their grandchildren and mine!!!
The readers' comments following the article are also very interesting.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... il-24.aspx
GMO soy-a must-read!
Re: GMO soy-a must-read!
The reporting of this study is by Jeffrey Smith, who's been writing responsibly about the dangers of GMOs for years. (Read his Seeds of Deception.) His piece first appeared in the Huffington Post. Here is an extract:
"This study was just routine," said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov,
in what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and
his colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto's genetically modified
(GM) soy, grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth
or reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar
industry.
After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on
the GM diet, and especially the group on the /maximum/ GM soy diet,
showed devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed
hamsters lost the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower
growth, and a high mortality rate among the pups.
And if this isn't shocking enough, some in the third generation even had
hair growing inside their mouths—a phenomenon rarely seen, but
apparently more prevalent among hamsters eating GM soy.
The study, jointly conducted by Surov's Institute of Ecology and
Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National
Association for Gene Security, is expected to be published in three
months (July 2010)—so the technical details will have to wait. But Surov
sketched out the basic set up for me in an email.
He used Campbell hamsters, with a fast reproduction rate, divided into 4
groups. All were fed a normal diet, but one was without /any/ soy,
another had non-GM soy, a third used GM soy, and a fourth contained
higher amounts of GM soy. They used 5 pairs of hamsters per group, each
of which produced 7-8 litters, totally 140 animals.
Surov told /The Voice of Russia
/,
"Originally, everything went smoothly. However, we noticed quite a
serious effect when we selected new pairs from their cubs and
continued to feed them as before. These pairs' growth rate was
slower and reached their sexual maturity slowly."
He selected new pairs from each group, which generated another 39
litters. There were 52 pups born to the control group and 78 to the
non-GM soy group. In the GM soy group, however, only 40 pups were born.
And of these, 25% died. This was a fivefold higher death rate than the
5% seen among the controls. Of the hamsters that ate /high/ GM soy
content, only a single female hamster gave birth. She had 16 pups; about
20% died.
Surov said "The low numbers in F2 [third generation] showed that many
animals were sterile."
The published paper will also include measurements of organ size for the
third generation animals, including testes, spleen, uterus, etc. And if
the team can raise sufficient funds, they will also analyze hormone
levels in collected blood samples.
*Hair Growing in the Mouth*
Earlier this year, Surov co-authored a paper in /Doklady Biological
Sciences/ showing that in rare instances, hair grows inside recessed
pouches in the mouths of hamsters.
"Some of these pouches contained single hairs; others, thick bundles of
colorless or pigmented hairs reaching as high as the chewing surface of
the teeth. Sometimes, the tooth row was surrounded with a regular brush
of hair bundles on both sides. The hairs grew vertically and had sharp
ends, often covered with lumps of a mucous."
(The photos of these hair bundles are truly disgusting. Trust me, or
look for yourself
.)
At the conclusion of the study, the authors surmise that such an
astounding defect may be due to the diet of hamsters raised in the
laboratory. They write, "This pathology may be exacerbated by elements
of the food that are absent in natural food, such as genetically
modified (GM) ingredients (GM soybean or maize meal) or contaminants
(pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, etc.)." Indeed, the number of
hairy mouthed hamsters was much higher among the third generation of GM
soy fed animals than anywhere Surov had seen before.
*Preliminary, but Ominous*
Surov warns against jumping to early conclusions. He said, "It is quite
possible that the GMO does not cause these effects by itself." Surov
wants to make the analysis of the feed components a priority, to
discover just what is causing the effect and how.
In addition to the GMOs, it could be contaminants, he said, or higher
herbicide residues, such as Roundup. There is in fact much higher levels
of Roundup on these beans; they're called "Roundup Ready." Bacterial
genes are forced into their DNA so that the plants can tolerate
Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Therefore, GM soy always carries the
double threat of higher herbicide content, couple with any side effects
of genetic engineering.
*Years of Reproductive Disorders from GMO-Feed*
Surov's hamsters are just the latest animals to suffer from reproductive
disorders after consuming GMOs. In 2005, Irina Ermakova, also with the
Russian National Academy of Sciences, reported that more than half the
babies from mother rats fed GM soy died
within three weeks. This was also five times higher than the 10% death
rate of the non-GMO soy group. The babies in the GM group were also
smaller (see photo
)
and could not reproduce.
In a telling coincidence, after Ermakova's feeding trials, her
laboratory started feeding /all/ the rats in the facility a commercial
rat chow using GM soy. Within two months, the infant mortality
facility-wide reached 55%.
When Ermakova fed male rats GM soy, their testicles changed from the
normal pink to dark blue!
Italian scientists similarly found changes in mice testes (PDF)
,
including damaged young sperm cells. Furthermore, the DNA of embryos
from parent mice fed GM soy functioned differently.
An Austrian government study published in November 2008 showed that the
more GM corn was fed to mice, the fewer the babies they had (PDF)
, and
the smaller the babies were.
Central Iowa Farmer Jerry Rosman also had trouble with pigs and cows
becoming sterile. Some of his pigs even had false pregnancies or gave
birth to bags of water. After months of investigations and testing, he
finally traced the problem to GM corn feed. Every time a newspaper,
magazine, or TV show reported Jerry's problems, he would receive calls
from more farmers complaining of livestock sterility on their farm,
linked to GM corn.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine accidentally discovered that
rats raised on corncob bedding "neither breed nor exhibit reproductive
behavior ." Tests
on the corn material revealed two compounds that stopped the sexual
cycle in females "at concentrations approximately two-hundredfold lower
than classical phytoestrogens." One compound also curtailed male sexual
behavior and both substances contributed to the growth of breast and
prostate cancer cell cultures. Researchers found that the amount of the
substances varied with GM corn varieties
. The crushed
corncob used at Baylor was likely shipped from central Iowa, near the
farm of Jerry Rosman and others complaining of sterile livestock.
In Haryana, India, a team of investigating veterinarians report that
buffalo consuming GM cottonseed suffer from infertility, as well as
frequent abortions, premature deliveries, and prolapsed uteruses. Many
adult and young buffalo have also died mysteriously...
Peace,
Dale
"This study was just routine," said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov,
in what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and
his colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto's genetically modified
(GM) soy, grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth
or reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar
industry.
After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on
the GM diet, and especially the group on the /maximum/ GM soy diet,
showed devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed
hamsters lost the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower
growth, and a high mortality rate among the pups.
And if this isn't shocking enough, some in the third generation even had
hair growing inside their mouths—a phenomenon rarely seen, but
apparently more prevalent among hamsters eating GM soy.
The study, jointly conducted by Surov's Institute of Ecology and
Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National
Association for Gene Security, is expected to be published in three
months (July 2010)—so the technical details will have to wait. But Surov
sketched out the basic set up for me in an email.
He used Campbell hamsters, with a fast reproduction rate, divided into 4
groups. All were fed a normal diet, but one was without /any/ soy,
another had non-GM soy, a third used GM soy, and a fourth contained
higher amounts of GM soy. They used 5 pairs of hamsters per group, each
of which produced 7-8 litters, totally 140 animals.
Surov told /The Voice of Russia
/,
"Originally, everything went smoothly. However, we noticed quite a
serious effect when we selected new pairs from their cubs and
continued to feed them as before. These pairs' growth rate was
slower and reached their sexual maturity slowly."
He selected new pairs from each group, which generated another 39
litters. There were 52 pups born to the control group and 78 to the
non-GM soy group. In the GM soy group, however, only 40 pups were born.
And of these, 25% died. This was a fivefold higher death rate than the
5% seen among the controls. Of the hamsters that ate /high/ GM soy
content, only a single female hamster gave birth. She had 16 pups; about
20% died.
Surov said "The low numbers in F2 [third generation] showed that many
animals were sterile."
The published paper will also include measurements of organ size for the
third generation animals, including testes, spleen, uterus, etc. And if
the team can raise sufficient funds, they will also analyze hormone
levels in collected blood samples.
*Hair Growing in the Mouth*
Earlier this year, Surov co-authored a paper in /Doklady Biological
Sciences/ showing that in rare instances, hair grows inside recessed
pouches in the mouths of hamsters.
"Some of these pouches contained single hairs; others, thick bundles of
colorless or pigmented hairs reaching as high as the chewing surface of
the teeth. Sometimes, the tooth row was surrounded with a regular brush
of hair bundles on both sides. The hairs grew vertically and had sharp
ends, often covered with lumps of a mucous."
(The photos of these hair bundles are truly disgusting. Trust me, or
look for yourself
.)
At the conclusion of the study, the authors surmise that such an
astounding defect may be due to the diet of hamsters raised in the
laboratory. They write, "This pathology may be exacerbated by elements
of the food that are absent in natural food, such as genetically
modified (GM) ingredients (GM soybean or maize meal) or contaminants
(pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, etc.)." Indeed, the number of
hairy mouthed hamsters was much higher among the third generation of GM
soy fed animals than anywhere Surov had seen before.
*Preliminary, but Ominous*
Surov warns against jumping to early conclusions. He said, "It is quite
possible that the GMO does not cause these effects by itself." Surov
wants to make the analysis of the feed components a priority, to
discover just what is causing the effect and how.
In addition to the GMOs, it could be contaminants, he said, or higher
herbicide residues, such as Roundup. There is in fact much higher levels
of Roundup on these beans; they're called "Roundup Ready." Bacterial
genes are forced into their DNA so that the plants can tolerate
Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Therefore, GM soy always carries the
double threat of higher herbicide content, couple with any side effects
of genetic engineering.
*Years of Reproductive Disorders from GMO-Feed*
Surov's hamsters are just the latest animals to suffer from reproductive
disorders after consuming GMOs. In 2005, Irina Ermakova, also with the
Russian National Academy of Sciences, reported that more than half the
babies from mother rats fed GM soy died
within three weeks. This was also five times higher than the 10% death
rate of the non-GMO soy group. The babies in the GM group were also
smaller (see photo
)
and could not reproduce.
In a telling coincidence, after Ermakova's feeding trials, her
laboratory started feeding /all/ the rats in the facility a commercial
rat chow using GM soy. Within two months, the infant mortality
facility-wide reached 55%.
When Ermakova fed male rats GM soy, their testicles changed from the
normal pink to dark blue!
Italian scientists similarly found changes in mice testes (PDF)
,
including damaged young sperm cells. Furthermore, the DNA of embryos
from parent mice fed GM soy functioned differently.
An Austrian government study published in November 2008 showed that the
more GM corn was fed to mice, the fewer the babies they had (PDF)
, and
the smaller the babies were.
Central Iowa Farmer Jerry Rosman also had trouble with pigs and cows
becoming sterile. Some of his pigs even had false pregnancies or gave
birth to bags of water. After months of investigations and testing, he
finally traced the problem to GM corn feed. Every time a newspaper,
magazine, or TV show reported Jerry's problems, he would receive calls
from more farmers complaining of livestock sterility on their farm,
linked to GM corn.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine accidentally discovered that
rats raised on corncob bedding "neither breed nor exhibit reproductive
behavior ." Tests
on the corn material revealed two compounds that stopped the sexual
cycle in females "at concentrations approximately two-hundredfold lower
than classical phytoestrogens." One compound also curtailed male sexual
behavior and both substances contributed to the growth of breast and
prostate cancer cell cultures. Researchers found that the amount of the
substances varied with GM corn varieties
. The crushed
corncob used at Baylor was likely shipped from central Iowa, near the
farm of Jerry Rosman and others complaining of sterile livestock.
In Haryana, India, a team of investigating veterinarians report that
buffalo consuming GM cottonseed suffer from infertility, as well as
frequent abortions, premature deliveries, and prolapsed uteruses. Many
adult and young buffalo have also died mysteriously...
Peace,
Dale