Never Be Sick Again (35 page)

Never before in human evolution has humankind eaten a genetically modified food. Only in recent years have we developed the technologies that allow us to create these foods. Now genetic technologies are being developed and deployed rapidly, with few controls and almost no consideration for long-term consequences. Most of the food in your supermarket already contains genetically modified components. Yet there is insufficient research, particularly long-term research, to establish the safety of genetically modified foods and, indeed, ample reason to believe they may not be safe.

If we keep producing and consuming genetically modified foods, we will be unable to prevent genetic contamination from becoming prevalent throughout our entire food supply. If ever these foods are determined unsafe, the damage will be irreversible. Unexpected results from these foods might not become obvious until years after they are introduced, at which point taking it back is too late. Our scientists do their best, but when experimenting with genetics, the potential for unanticipated side effects is almost incalculable. Here is one scenario: Over time, genetically modified organisms interact with their environment, mutate and evolve, and pass on their mutant characteristics to other related and unrelated organisms, including us. This sets off a chain of events throughout the entire ecosystem, jeopardizing life on earth as we know it. I know this scenario sounds dramatic, but messing with genes and the course of evolution is risky business.

Is That a Jellyfish in Your Potato?

Producing new foods with modern genetic engineering is no minor event. Genetic engineers cut, splice and transfer genes between totally unrelated species to produce combinations that could never occur in nature. Scientists are inserting jellyfish genes into potatoes, scorpion genes into vegetables, human genes into pigs and fish genes into tomatoes. Perfect accuracy using these gene-splicing techniques and knowing exactly what will be produced is almost impossible. Researchers at the prestigious Rowett Institute in Scotland studied different batches of genetically modified potatoes and found substantial differences from the same gene insertion. Two lines of potatoes grown from the same gene insertion and the same growing conditions had a 20 percent difference in protein content, demonstrating the unpredictability inherent in genetic modification.

Genetically modified foods may be of altered nutritional value, and they also may contain allergens or toxins they would not naturally contain—including ones not normally associated with that type of food. For example, genes from Brazil nuts were used to engineer a new soybean; but people allergic to Brazil nuts were now highly reactive to these soybeans. Fortunately the problem was discovered before anyone was harmed. Other genetically modified foods may present similar risks. A 1999 study printed in the British medical journal
Lancet
showed that genetically modified potatoes damaged the stomach and intestinal linings of rats. People are also eating genetically modified potatoes, but similar tests are not being performed on humans.

Do you recall one of the health “scandals” of the late 1980s? Many people who took an essential amino acid called tryptophan (which is used for treating depression and other emotional problems) had devastating reactions. Thirty-seven people died, fifteen hundred were permanently disabled, and five thousand became extremely ill. As it turned out, one particular manufacturer in Japan had produced tryptophan using a genetically modified bacterium, which did produce commercial quantities of tryptophan, but which also produced a powerful nerve poison. Of course this poison did not exist until we created it with genetic engineering, so it could not be detected by existing safety tests. We cannot test for toxins we don't know about, which is the problem with genetically engineered foods. They are capable of producing the unexpected.

Supermarkets Full of Genetic Experiments

Food industry journals estimate that about 70 percent of the processed foods in our supermarkets would test positive for genetically modified ingredients. Most common are genetically engineered corn, soybeans, tomatoes, yellow crookneck squash, canola, papaya and Russet Burbank potatoes. Other foods are being developed, such as apples, rice, wheat, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, melons and grapes; genetically modified versions of these foods are either in stores already or they soon will be.

A 1999 study by
Consumer Reports
found that only one-third of U.S. shoppers realize they are eating genetically modified foods. The FDA does not require these foods to be labeled “genetically modified,” and consumers do not realize what they are buying. People buy so-called “fresh” produce, unaware that these foods did not evolve through a natural process. As always, your best bet is to purchase only fresh, organic foods. If you are unable to buy organic, stay away from commercial foods most likely to be genetically modified, particularly corn and soy (including tofu). Avoid commercially processed and prepared foods, 70 percent of which contain genetically modified components, often including soy as a hidden ingredient.

Even organic foods are not guaranteed to be free from genetically modified components. Segregating organic crops completely from genetically modified crops during harvest, handling, transport and milling is not possible. Similarly, insects, birds and wind carry seeds and pollen from genetically modified plants into organic fields and cross-pollinate. America's crops are so contaminated by genetic modification that the Organic Federation of Australia announced in 2001 that it could no longer verify the purity of organic crops imported from the United States. Closer to home, Farm Verified Organic, an organic certification agency, has stated, “the GM [genetically modified] pollution of American commodities is now so pervasive, we believe it is not possible for farmers in North America to source seed free from it.” Our supposedly uncontaminated organic crops of corn, soy and canola are now testing positive for the presence of foreign genetic material.

As you know, commercial farming produces sick plants, which are sprayed with chemical fertilizers and pesticides to keep them alive. To cut down on pesticide use, some genetically modified crops (such as corn and potatoes) have been engineered to produce toxic pesticides internally. These plants actually become their own pesticide factories. The long-term health effects of these pesticides are unknown. With such crops, the potential certainly exists for long-term nutritional deficiencies, toxicities and even genetic mutations in humans. A December 1999 issue of
Nature
reported that genetically modified crops engineered to produce their own pesticides actually were poisoning the soil. Pesticides leaching from the plant's roots were killing beneficial bacteria in the soil, disrupting the soil food web and threatening soil ecology. This problem is severe. The quality of the soil has everything to do with the health and nutritional content of the crops it produces.

Genetically modified organisms are problematic because they are extremely hard to control. Genes do not exist by themselves. They exist as part of interactive networks. The splicing of genes results in not only the desired characteristics but also in other unpredictable effects. Given that the species developed by Mother Nature work just fine, why take these unnecessary risks?

“Progress?” At What Price?

The companies that supply genetically modified seeds, such as Archer Daniels Midland and Monsanto, believe they are pioneers in a technology that can serve humankind and offer myriad benefits now and in the future. Scientists in this field argue that genetically modified foods increase yields and are necessary to feed this hungry world. They argue that crops can be engineered to reduce environmental pesticide pollution, because pesticides are produced internally by the plants. They argue that the plants can be engineered to resist chemical weed killers, so farmers can use these chemicals without fear of harming crops. Future possibilities include engineering plants that are better able to withstand harsh environmental conditions, permitting farming in areas not presently suitable. Another possibility is the engineering of crops with increased nutritional content. Clearly, genetically modified foods present great promise, but as always, we must consider the whole picture.

These foods also present enormous risks for which there is little financial incentive to investigate and plenty of incentive to overlook. Safety tests for these newly created species should be at least as rigorous as those for new food additives, but they are not. No single regulatory agency is in charge of genetically modified foods. Eight government agencies are involved under twelve different laws, none of which deal specifically with genetically modified foods. Biotechnology companies do their own testing and are not required to inform the FDA if they suspect a problem. Huge corporations and large sums of money are involved, yet we rely on the honor system alone. At the very least, people have a right to know what they are eating. We should insist that genetically engineered foods be labeled as such. In order to make our voices heard, contact your elected representatives and tell them what you think.

Misleading Thoughts
About Birth Defects

One of the central points of confusion regarding genetics and disease is the common misunderstanding between genetic and congenital defects. Most people assume that a condition present at birth is genetically determined. Not so. In a newborn baby, the environmental conditions in the womb contributed to every step of its development. Defects caused by problematic conditions in the womb are congenital, not genetic.

Building a baby puts a huge demand on the mother, which can be met only with a much higher than normal intake of nutrients. Grave consequences often affect the developing fetus if a mother fails to obtain proper nutrition.
Congenital
defects—biochemical and physical defects present at birth—
are not determined by genes, but by the same two causes
responsible for all disease: deficiency and toxicity.

If the mother's cells are neither deficient nor toxic, her baby's chances for a healthy life increase dramatically. As a fetus passes through various developmental stages, tissues and cells grow very quickly. Rapidly dividing cells are at a greater risk of suffering from insufficient nutrients, too much of certain hormones or the presence of certain toxins. These conditions can alter the development of the baby's tissues, permanently affecting the physical and mental function of the child.

An unfavorable environment in the womb causes a developing fetus to make compromises in order to compensate for deficiency or toxicity. These compensations come at a very high price, a price that often is invisible and impossible to measure. Perhaps the newborn's nervous system is compromised and the child's IQ will be lower than it might otherwise be. Perhaps the baby's digestive system is not fully developed, leading to digestive problems, disease and shortened life span. Perhaps the circulatory system is not fully developed, making it impossible for optimal amounts of nutrients and oxygen to reach the tissues, thus guaranteeing premature aging and disease. Perhaps the baby is born with a cleft palate, a clubfoot or a heart defect.

Some of these problems are obvious at birth, but most are not. When they are obvious, we usually blame them on genetics, but they are mostly congenital. To avoid these problems, parents, especially prior to and during pregnancy, must follow the six pathways closely, optimizing their cellular function and minimizing the chances of congenital problems in their children.

Choosing Your Destiny

Although perfect nutrition, perfect genes, a pure environment and ideal behavior do not exist, these factors write the story of your life, including how many chapters you will finish.
The interaction between inherited genes, nutritional
intake, the environment and our beliefs at any point in time are
the triggers that determine our current state of health or disease,
including how long we live.

By changing the conditions inside your body, you can signal your genes to express in different ways. Our society tends to think that disease is the result of aging. Not true. The Hunzas and other historically healthy populations lived to very old ages without disease. Disease is a result of the rate at which we age, not the number of years we have inhabited the Earth. The rate is affected by “aging genes,” which we can choose to keep turned off.

You can create a younger and healthier you, as was suggested by Arthur Vander, M.D., in his 1981 book,
Nutrition,
Stress, & Toxic Chemicals: An Approach to Environmental-
Health Controversies.
Dr. Vander said, “Different environments, by altering gene expression, can produce . . . an incredible variety of ‘yous.'”

By assuming that inherited genes cause disease, one assumes that disease occurs regardless of dietary and lifestyle factors—in other words, environment. Not so, which is why we can have such a powerful influence on the balance between health and disease. Genes are important, but they are only one small piece of a much larger puzzle. Fundamentally, there is only one disease (malfunctioning cells), and it has only two causes (deficiency and toxicity).

Regardless of the recipe you start with, a dish is only as good as the ingredients put into it. The same goes for a cell. When a cell is provided with the proper nutrients, kept free from toxins and placed in a supportive environment, health-supporting genes are activated, aging and disease-causing genes remain dormant, and both your cells and you are healthy. To move yourself in the right direction on the genetic pathway, create a healthy environment for your genes and protect them from damage.