Monster Corn

Monsanto is an agricultural company that claims to apply innovation and technology to help farmers produce healthier foods, better animal feeds, and more fiber while also reducing agriculture's impact on our environment, but earlier this month The Huffington Post featured an article about a study conducted by the International Journal of Biological Studies (IJBS) which concluded that Monsanto's genetically modified corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

IJBS’ study presented data that strongly suggests these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity that can cause rapid kidney deterioration. As pointed out in the study: “These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown."

The corn was approved for consumption in the U.S. and in Europe after a 90-day study made by Monsanto, who responded to the study, stating that the research is "based on faulty analytical methods and reasoning and do not call into question the safety findings for these products." The IJBS study's author Gilles-Eric Séralini responded to the Monsanto statement on the Food Freedom blog, "Our study contradicts Monsanto conclusions because Monsanto systematically neglects significant health effects in mammals that are different in males and females eating GMOs, or not proportional to the dose. This is a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health. This is the major conclusion revealed by our work, the only careful reanalysis of Monsanto crude statistical data."

Image: "Bosworth Battlefield (2)" by jams_123 on Flickr Courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing.

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Comments

how have i not heard more about this

Submitted by gillbard525 on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 17:31.

i don't live under a rock, i take an interest in what is going on in the world around me. how is this the first i have heard of this study.

a study that appears to prove with a good deal of certainty that the myth that GM food is dangerous, is in fact true and that that danger has been obscured through inept or more likely maliciously skewed statistics. having confirmed our worst fears in this quandary this information has failed to have the impact that is warranted. if this is true than Monsanto should not be allowed to continue pursuing this approach to their research and should be very carefully watched if in the future should they decide to recommence this type of activity.

i am not against genetic modification, on the contrary i believe it is the answer to allot of the plants food demands. it is also my firm belief that while we entrust GM research to industry there is always going to be the conflict of interests that cause a flawed product to be rushed to market without proper testing or with willful misrepresentation of data.

Don’t get lost in heaven

Clear example of the fact

Submitted by Benno on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 17:44.

Clear example of the fact that uncontrolled capitalism has dire consequences. Thank you for posting this.

Reading the Paper

Submitted by LionKimbro on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 19:52.

Well, I looked at the paper, (I think this is the paper,) and it says:

"We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded."

So: It is not at all clear whether it is the corn with these 3 particular modifications, or if it is the pesticides used on them, that the modifications were made to make the corn survive.

Either way, "monster corn" is a pretty way out there term for it.

Get your facts...

Submitted by Joseph Matthew on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 14:42.

There is plenty of information on this topic if you look for it.

More than a few factual-based documentaries (not emotional ones) interviewing farmers around the world that showcase the harmful effects to our eco system that Monstanto has wrought through their mutant food.

Some even balance such info with happy American farmers who see no wrong-doing in Monsanto's efforts (typically because they profiting with them).

BTW: the article added the word "claims" to the first sentence... the RSS feed is missing this word and first read like a Monsanto press release.

Responsible Science Journalism

Submitted by LionKimbro on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 15:28.

The thing is, there's nothing in the paper that demonstrates that organ damage comes from the corn itself, but the reporting here on Reality Sandwich says that it does -- when it calls it "monster corn."

I'm not condoning Monsanto; But I am critical of articles that distort the actual science.

That is to say: Publish science articles that say what the papers say, in more conventional language, and with contextualization. There are hoards of unions of concerned scientists who would love it if Reality Sandwich republished their articles. They wouldn't charge anything, and the science (and the presentation of that science) would be solid.

to clarify

Submitted by gillbard525 on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 20:46.

i have seen some of these documentaries, that is the type of programming i seek out. i saw one recently that sounds similar to the one you describe. i think it is in México where maize is traditionally the staple diet, they show us a strangely deformed cob of corn that has been contaminated by the test GM crops being grown nearby. the important word here is "test" the part of this article that has me worried is the "approved for human consumption"

it might be that i'm too young to have been interested at the time, but i missed that.

the inconclusiveness of the research is another nagging question at the back of my mind. if the product is fine like Monsanto say, why is there so much resistance to outside repetition and clarification of the results. with the expansion across three species and over the more generally accepted time span of 2 years. these are not unacceptable things to ask of a company when the health of the world is in the firing line.

dont get lost in heaven

No argument from me;

Submitted by LionKimbro on Sun, 01/24/2010 - 03:18.

I'm all for more research.

<shrug>

Look Lionkimbro

Submitted by The hungarian heart on Sat, 01/23/2010 - 22:47.

Look Lionkimbro consciencious scientist will not work for Monsanto precisely because their work will not be used for the good of mankind so in the end it doesn't matter how great the science is behind their work. Scientific groups are mainly corrupted by their research being financed by profit hungry entrepreneurs therefore being suspecious about them in general is well justified. This is also the answer to your suggestion to just publish anyscientific program.

And ..?

Submitted by LionKimbro on Sun, 01/24/2010 - 03:22.

I don't know what you think you're arguing against; Nor what this "suggestion" I've made is.

I'm all for independent research.

Heck, I'm even for this independent research -- the research referred to in the article. Just report it right.

You can watch an outstanding

Submitted by ST Frequency on Mon, 01/25/2010 - 01:56.

You can watch an outstanding documentary on Monsanto here: http://www.sprword.com/videos/monsanto/ I don't think "monster corn" is a poor choice of words to describe GM corn. But I draw my sentiments from much of the information in this video. Appalling. The science is there, very prominently as well...

GM corn

Submitted by awalker on Thu, 01/28/2010 - 10:42.

awalker This is not an isolated study showing the possible damages from GM foods. If you look more deeply into the issue of Genetically modified crops you will find much evidence of supressed research by Monsanto, reserach that shows devastting effect of GM crops on living beings. See the documentary The World According to Monsanto, or The Future of Food to understand this isssue better. Also read books by Jeffrey Smith, an honest reseracher into the subject who is an expert calling on all of us to get informed and reject GM foods before they destroy our health. Monsanto's bottom line is profit and they are unscrupulous. Organic food production is the way to feed people and save the earth. Don't shoot from the hip; get informed!

Peyote vision

Submitted by Inin-Soi on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 22:45.

About two years ago I attended a peyote ceremony in which I had the clear sense of looking into the future to behold the US midwest in a state of biological meltdown due to GMO's. I was shown a huge agricultural landscape devastated by the unforseen consequences of cross-pollination occuring over a relatively short span of years.

experiment done by someone

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Monsanto evil!!??

Submitted by wolfy on Sun, 04/25/2010 - 21:35.

Next they'll be saying PCB's, DDT, and agent orange (responsible for 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children with birth defects in Vietnam alone) is bad for you. Who manufactured that stuff anyway. Oh yeah.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -Mahatma Gandhi.