In Norway, a group of scientists have discovered that Genetically Modified Organism (GMOs) have the capacity to promote weight gain in other less obvious ways.
In a report titled: ‘Eat GMO, Get Fat’ published by a website named Beyond GM, the scientists shows that animals fed a diet of GM corn put on weight, were less able to digest proteins and suffered immune system problems.
The wide-ranging, decade-long international research project includes researchers from Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Turkey, Australia and Norway where the researchers are exploring the effects of GM food, studying the impact on rats, mice, pig and salmon has shown the same result.
The lead researcher Professor Åshild Krogdahl of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, said, “We are trying to identify which indicators we need to measure in order to explore unintentional effects from GM food.
“The findings could give us some understanding of the potential effects for these animal species as well as for humans.
“As part of the project, a group of rats were fed corn which had been genetically modified for pest resistance. Over a period of 90 days they became slightly fatter than the control group of rats fed non-GM corn. The same effect occurred where rats were fed fish which, in turn, had eaten GM corn.
“If the same effect applies to humans, how would it impact on people eating this type of corn over a number of years, or even eating meat from animals feeding on this corn?”, he asks. “It is an interesting phenomenon and worth exploring further.”
Damage to the intestines
Examining the effects on salmon, the researchers found distinct differences between fish being fed GM food and those on a non-GM diet. Many of the changes were within ‘normal’ range, nevertheless the fish that was fed GM showed a distinct trend.
They were, said Krogdahl “slightly larger, they ate slightly more, their intestines had a different microstructure, they were less able to digest proteins, and there were some changes to their immune system. Blood samples also showed some change in the blood.
“This inability to digest proteins has important implications for the health. The proper digestion of protein is necessary for many biological functions which include providing the body with amino acids.
“If the link proves to be true it means that eating GMOs could be linked not only a rise in obesity, but to increases in many modern diseases such as diabetes, digestive disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (ADD), autoimmune diseases, sexual dysfunction, sterility, asthma, COPD and more.”
More organ damage
The subtle changes observed by the international study were found in a wide range of organs, including the digestive organs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.
Krogdahl points out that there’s nothing inherently unusual about physiological changes after food consumption, as this happens with non-GM food as well. The question is whether changes with a GM diet could be of a different category – potentially causing harm over the long term.
As well as examining salmon intestines after GM food consumption, the researchers also looked at the intestines of rats eating the salmon. The rats ate slightly more and grew faster than their GM-free counterparts, as well as showing signs of immune system disruption.
GM’s ‘drift’ into vital tissues
The work done by Krogdahl and her colleagues disproves another long held GM myth that GMOs don’t survive the digestion process.
“A frequent claim has been that new genes introduced in GM food are harmless since all genes are broken up in the intestines. But our findings show that genes can be transferred through the intestinal wall into the blood; they have been found in blood, muscle tissue and liver in sufficiently large segments to be identified,” Krogdahl explains.
“The biological impact of this gene transfer is unknown.
“We should be very wary of all the unknowns associated with GMOs as well as mindful of the research that does exist,” she said.
The results of this and other studies into the risks posed by GM food demands that countries that have embraced GMOs over the last 18 years get them out of the food chain as soon as possible. In EU countries, where GMOs are not so widely consumed, they provide good reasons to maintain a strict moratorium on GMOs in order to protect our health.
Professor Krogdahl summarises her findings linking GMO food with weight gain at a 2012 conference.
