18 million Americans suffer from diseases related to gluten intolerance. According to the latest research in the United States, the problem is with the genetically modified soybeans and corn that people eat. Doctors believe that the world is on the verge of a new large-scale epidemic.
The gluten-free diet is becoming more and more popular. This is not a fashion trend. For most people, this is a vital necessity. The human body increasingly refuses to assimilate gluten (otherwise - gluten) - a protein found in cereals. Gluten intolerance when eating foods with its content leads to disruption of digestion. As a result, there is a wide range of diseases from autism to cancer.
Taking into account the fact that the spread of sensitivity to gluten has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, the connection of the outbreak of the disease with the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is undeniable, says Irina Ermakova, doctor of biological sciences, international expert on environmental and food safety:
“There is a surge in people with cancer in areas where there are a lot of GMOs. Also, the cases of obesity and diabetes increased several times precisely after genetically modified products were brought to these regions. In addition, infertility is detected. This is the worst thing. The sterility of not only humans or mammals, but the sterility of almost all living organisms. This can lead to the destruction of our biosphere, since insects, beneficial bacteria cease to multiply, and plants disappear. Generally, GMOs are a time bomb”.
Meanwhile, there is no uniform assessment of the danger of GMOs in the world. For example, such products are widely used in the USA. There is not even a law on mandatory labeling of products containing GMOs. China is allowed to grow genetically modified cotton and papaya, but GMO corn and GMO rice are also imported. In Europe, Austria, Germany, France, Greece, Poland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Hungary have completely abandoned GMO production. But Ukraine will soon join the number of countries where genetically modified soybeans are growing, the corresponding decision has already been signed.
The problem is that until now there have been no global studies of the impact of GMOs on the environment and, in particular, on humans. Scientists working with multinational companies producing GMO products and independent scientists who do not support the idea of genetic engineering cannot agree. They don't trust each other's experiments. And since it is more profitable to grow and use GMO grain commercially than natural grain, it has a strong lobby in different countries.
Mark Kastel, co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit organization with the mission of “Seeking Economic Justice for Family Farming :
“The biotech industry has done almost everything it can to prevent independent scientists from analyzing the genes of the new plants it produces. When farmers plant genetically modified soybeans, they sign an agreement with the grower that prohibits them from giving scientists access to the crop. Thus, they can use their culture for agronomic research or for research directly related to the yield of the crop, but cannot collaborate with medical or environmental centers.
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The scope for research to understand whether GMOs are dangerous or not is very limited. Those experiments that have been carried out and which are available to most people were carried out mainly on laboratory animals, and often the duration of these experiments was only 30-90 days. However, there is a very limited number of longer term studies in laboratory rats and other animals, the results of which show rather disturbing results, including diseases that can lead to gastrointestinal distress in humans.
Gluten-free sections added to stores
The situation with the provision of grants to research universities in the United States is also very acute. Much of the budget for government-funded research has been cut, while the development of corporate agribusiness and biotechnology research has, on the contrary, increased dramatically, and this has a negative impact on research. This means that if scientists publish research results that demonstrate the harmful effects of certain unique biotech crops, their universities may lose funding and cannot develop further. So this is an unfriendly environment for scientists who want to dig deeper into these issues and be successful.
Is it possible to maintain an adequate supply of food for the US population without the use of GMOs?
- Yes, I think you can. Most of the income of agriculture over the last decade and a half, is not associated with GMOs, but with hybrid breeding, which has been a traditional development function from the point of view of plant genetics. So yes, we can feed ourselves."
The Russian National Association for Genetic Safety decided that it was time to put an end to the dispute: prohibit GMOs if it is harmful, or reassure people if there is no danger, said the director of the Association Elena Sharoykina:
“There should be an experiment where both opponents and supporters of GMOs, as well as those who are neutral about this technology, will agree on the rules. During this year, we have done a lot of work with international and Russian scientists. In the summer we were visited by specialists from the USA, France, Great Britain. A working group was created. To date, protocols have been prepared. I think such an experiment will become a world sensation, because until now, over 20 years of commercial use of GMOs, no one in the world has brought together scientists from different countries and different scientific disciplines in order to fully and fully investigate the effects of GMOs on organisms."