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| Self-labeling shenanigans at the grocery store. |
The more I read about GMO's, the more confused I become. While there may be detrimental long term health effects from consuming such products, there are also some positive environmental outcomes. I listened in on a GMO specific webinar last week featuring the Director of International biotechnology from UC Davis in California. She demonstrated a good amount of propelling evidence in favor of using this technology, but she also stressed that there's a time and a place for its use.That hit home for me. There is a time and a place for the use of this technology; however, the majority of authority figures in the US do not comply with this perspective. We want instant gratification. Convenience. Money. We want a lot of things and we want them NOW.
Before I continue my rant against evil corporations (Monsanto, cough cough), I'll let you read this brief article about a different form of GMO. It is strictly information based and unbiased. If you really want my opinion, just ask.
{This article was written for Around the Plate as a guest blogger}
Approximately 2-3% of U.S. infants suffer from milk
allergies caused by beta-lacto globulin (BLG), a component of whey protein
present in cow’s milk. When breastfeeding isn’t an option, families must turn
to formula, the majority of which are milk based. {Don’t confuse this with
lactose intolerance, which is caused by the milk sugar, lactose, and is
technically not an allergy.} Although most of these infants will outgrow their
allergies within several years, the symptoms are painful for the infant and
families report this situation to cause stress within the home. (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251010.php)
However, a team from New Zealand may have created an answer
for these babies. AgResearch has recently genetically modified a single,
tailless cow to produce hypoallergenic milk which contains virtually no BLG
(the taillessness was said to be the cause of a rare genetic mutation). They
also found the milk to contain double the amount of casein, an additional
protein which typically accounts for about 80% of all proteins in traditional
milk, and aids in protein synthesis. Some experts speculate that this
additional amount of casein may be very beneficial for muscle development,
while others find it to be detrimental to long term health.
Dr. T Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional
Biochemistry at Cornell University, studied the effects of a high casein diet
in rats and found this diet to promote tumor growth when exposed to carcinogens
(namely, Aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen). What’s even more interesting is that
once the amount of casein in the diet was decreased, the size of the tumor
decreased as well. It’s important to note here that casein wasn’t seen to initiate cancer and tumor development;
rather, it promotes the growth of an already existing set of
mutated cells.
The term GMO has regained importance in the media lately. Genetically
modified foods hit the market in the early nineties, causing an initial uproar
comprised of public fear and disapproval due to the lack of sound evidence
demonstrating long term safety. Within several years, public outcries faded,
and have now recently taken an upward swing again with the demand to at least
label GMO foods. With all the uncertainty surrounding GMO safety, consumers report
that they deserve the right to choose whether or not to eat them; hence the need
for labeling.
However, Monsanto, a multinational agricultural biotech
corporation and leading producer of genetically modified seeds, has spent
millions to prevent labeling laws and statewide bans of GMO foods (http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/08/22/monsanto-dupont-spending-millions-to-oppose-californias-gmo-labeling-law/).
For a company to be so confident in the safety of their product, why are they
so opposed to labeling? Consumers already have a bad taste in their mouth over
the term “GMO”, and labeling may drastically hurt their sales.
But back to miss Daisy. Perhaps her milk is the short term
answer to conveniently ending the BLG allergy of this small population of
infants. But what about the possible long term effects? Luckily, AgResearch
states that this milk will not be sold to consumers until further studies on
safety have been completed. Daisy’s milk extraction was hormonally induced, due
to her young age, so researchers need to first be sure that Daisy can produce
this milk on her own, as well as produce offspring to do the same. In the
meantime, moms can search out local milk banks which provide natural and
nutritional breast milk for those who are unable to breastfeed.
Additional Comments
* For more information on the casein study, refer to Dr.
Campbell’s book, The China Study, the
most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.
