GMO Cons
**The primary concern of GMO risks on the health of individuals is the toxic properties of the
proteins expressed by the inserted genes.
Experts say 60-70% of processed foods on shelves have genetically modified ingredients. EU
bans GMOs.
According to Brown University – “Genetic modification often mixes or adds proteins that
weren’t indigenous to the original plant, introducing new allergic reaction to the human body.”
According to Iowa State University – “Some GMO foods have antibiotic features added to them
so they are resistant to certain diseases and viruses. When humans eat them, these antibiotic
features persist in our bodies and make actual antibiotic medications less effective.”
Dr. William Davis says, “The new genetically modified wheat has a new protein called giladin.
Giladin binds to the opiate receptors in the brain and in the majority of people stimulates
appetites, such that we consume an upwards of 400 extra calories per day.” Dr. Davis says in his
own practice, while testing for food allergens using the elimination diet, he has found numerous
patients whose symptoms were relieved by cutting out GMO form their diet.
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Introducing allergens and toxins to food
Inadvertent contamination between genetically modified and non-genetically modified
foods
Negatively changing the nutrient content of foods
Lack of funding for genetic engineering testing that attempts to show harmful effects.
Most funding goes to research that is in support of GMOs.
GMOs are being produced more and more and used in the diets of livestock. They can affect us
indirectly without much knowledge to the consumer. An example provided by
HealthResearchFunding.org (HRF) is if an individual develops an allergy to soy due to the
genetically modified protein it contains, and a cow eats a soy produced food source containing
that same injected protein, the individual will have an allergic reaction from consuming the meat
of that cow.
One of the largest health concerns of eating genetically modified food is potential allergic
reactions. In 2000, StarLink modified corn showed up in testing of numerous Kraft products,
North America’s largest food supply company, as well as in Taco Bell corn shells. Approved by
the EPA for animal feeding in 1998 but deemed toxic to humans due to a dangerous allergenic
protein, StarLink modified corn resulted in corn crop contaminations, recalls of affected food
from store shelves, and was the subject of numerous reports of sickness and allergic reactions
from afflicted consumers.
Perhaps the greatest concern when it comes to genetically modified organisms (GMO) is the
uncertainty that still exists in the field. The fact is, GMOs are still new enough that long term
health risks are not completely known, and may not be for some time. Part of the issue for risk
assessment in GMOs is we don’t know how to test for their potential physiological effects.
“What Risk Assessments of Genetically Modified Organisms Can Learn from Institutional
Analyses of Public Health Risks” (S. Ravi Rajan and Deborah K. Letourneau) brings up the
interesting idea that GMOs are so commonplace in the foods we eat today that they could
potentially be an underlying cause for various ailments or concerns we don’t think much of. For
example, at routine physicals we do not tell the doctor a list of GMO based foods we eat, because
neither party sees it as foreign, they are part of the foods we eat, part of the social norm. But
perhaps this oversight should not be made, and the headaches you’re getting that can’t be
explained or the trouble falling asleep you’re having is from unknown side effects of certain
modified proteins in what you had for lunch. It is a farfetched idea, but at the same time it is a
strange possibility that cannot be disproven with how much we currently know about GMOs.
Proteins vs GM proteins (pictures)
Genetically Modified Organisms: Do the benefits outweigh the Risks? (page 4)
Testing protocol for GMO safety has been outdated for years. From 2004 onwards the majority
of testing done on GMO safety has been conducted by the very companies that mass produce
them, with positive results being the obvious outcomes. Much of these studies came more than
10 years after the particular GMO became commercialized around the world, after undergoing
various changes and iterations. Only three examples of 90 day test trials exist by these major
companies, other trials being much shorter. However, 90 day feeding experiments are still
considered insufficient to evaluate chronic toxicity from food [1,5].
Food that looks normal but is GM
Page 4 
Unexpected gene interactions and side effects can arise from transferred and altered genes
between GMOs. One of the primary concerns in this field is increased risks of cancer due to GM
crops having more pesticide residue than GMO free crops. The main ingredient of most
pesticides today, glyphosate, has recently been linked to rising cases of non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma (22). Some science claims are as foreboding as the 1996 US National Academy of
Sciences conclusion that pesticide residue on GM organisms will cause a million, premature fatal
cancers in the next 75 years (23). Another result of gene modification is the accidental creation
of DL-tryptophan, which has led to death and disabilities (24).