Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe?

"Genetically modified foods have come to your local supermarket, even though most Americans don't want them and many believe they are dangerous. A CBS poll found that 53 % of Americans would not buy food they knew had been genetically modified. But here's the rub---there's no easy way to know which foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

Genetically modified foods are made by inserting genes from another species into a food's DNA. About 60 to 70% of products on grocery store shelves contain at least one genetically engineered element. These foods include corn, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, soybean, and canola.

The public is generally unaware when they purchase genetically modified foods---called GM or GMO, short for genetically modified organism---since manufacturers and producers are not required to disclose the information on labels. The European Union, Japan, China, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand require GMO foods to be labeled. And despite a CBS News poll that showed a majority of American want labeling, no such law exists.

Many experts as well as concerned customers want to know if GMO foods are safe. A few troubling reports have been released. A study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences revealed the parameters of 60 different biochemicals in rats. Rats fed genetically modified corn were compared to their parents who had been feed non-GM corn. The results clearly showed a difference between the two groups. Rats fed GM food had signs of liver and kidney problems. Effects were also found on the heart, adrenal glands, and spleen.

According to Phys.Org.com a Russian study found that 55.6% of the newborns of female rats fed genetically-engineered soy flour before, during, and after pregnancy, died within three weeks. Only 9% of the offspring of rats fed non-GM soy died. In addition, 36% of the rats in the GM-fed group were underweight, compared with only 6.7 percent of the control group. In another study, groups of rats were fed GM tomatoes for 28 days. Seven of 20 developed bleeding stomachs, and seven out of a group of 40 rats died within two weeks.

If you'd rather not eat genetically modified foods, you can take the following steps to avoid them:

• Look for foods labeled "100% organic".
• Read fruit and vegetable numbers on the produce sticker. Five-digit numbers beginning with an 8 mean it is a GM food. Five-digit numbers beginning with a 9 indicate organic foods. Conventionally produced foods have numbers containing four digits.
• Hunt for products that are GM-free.
• Buy from small, local farmers. Most GM foods come from large commercial farms.
• Avoid processed foods."

- Sylvia Booth Hubbard, January 15, 2010, http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/