GM crops might not Bee good for you

It’s not breaking news that global warming is affecting our world’s food supply. The rise in environmental temperature has made growing conditions worse for several important crops – many of them staple foods such as rice and wheat. While that is a serious-enough situation that will hit the economic stability of many poorer countries, richer nations that can afford the rise in prices relatively easily may also suffer from decreased crop yield in a more insidious way.

In order to counter the effect of climate change on their crop productivity, many farmers are now turning to genetically-modified (GM) seeds that can grow in temperature conditions that natural seeds otherwise cannot. While this may result in quantitative benefits and help stabilize crop yield levels, an unseen harm may be taking root with every GM seed that is being planted.

GM seeds are created by introducing new genetic regulatory information into the DNA of the organism. While this may change the way it reacts to the weather, making it more robust, studies have also shown that such genetic alteration may also result in increased allergenic tendencies (the ability to cause allergic reaction in humans), toxicity levels and altered nutritional values. Other unpredictable mutations may also occur.

A startling indication of just how potentially harmful consuming GM crops might be comes from bees, which farmers rely heavily on to pollinate their crops. Autopsies conducted on dead crop-pollinating bees show their digestive tracts severely infected with diseases scientists believe are linked to the genetic mutations in GM crop-related pollen. The image shows a diseased bee thorax on the left, compared with a healthy one on the right. The contrast is striking. Scientists have observed that the discolouration is comparable to that found in instances of human colon cancer. It has been noted that bees that have ingested GM pollen often contract digestive tract diseases so severe that it is usually terminal.

This does not bode well for humans who rely on a global crop industry facing critical challenges to their production and will understandably turn to quick-fix solutions to address their most urgent requirements. Indeed, the incidence of colon cancer among humans has been rising steadily over the years. While this has not yet been definitively and scientifically linked to the increasing prevalence of GM foods, the numbers suggest a strong correlation and likely causality. We can however, do something about it.

The most obvious action is to avoid buying GM products and consume only organically-grown produce whenever possible. Also, you may consider consuming more nutritional supplements and herbal brews to mitigate the effects of the sometimes-unavoidable genetically or chemically altered foods which are getting more and more common. Your JNP friend would be able to fill you in more specifically on the JNP approach to good digestive health maintenance. Do remember to ask him or her the next time you meet.

But in order to nip the problem in the bud, do your part to preserve the environment. It is after all, the root cause of the ongoing food shortage crisis and its implications on the genetic quality of the food we consume.