Genetically Modified Food

Okay. Genetically modified food should be banned because of these four main reasons. 1. GM foods have not been proven safe to eat. In a lab study they did test on rats on the effects of gm food. These were the resullts: Rats fed GM tomatoes developed stomach ulcerations ◦Offspring of rats fed GM soya had 4 times the death rate of rats fed non-GM soya ◦Liver, pancreas and testes function was disturbed in mice fed GM soya ◦GM peas caused allergic reactions in mice ◦Rats fed GM oilseed rape developed enlarged livers, often a sign of toxicity ◦GM potatoes fed to rats caused excessive growth of the lining of the gut similar to a pre-cancerous condition ◦Rats fed insecticide-producing GM maize grew more slowly, suffered problems with liver and kidney function, and showed higher levels of certain fats in their blood ◦Rats fed GM insecticide-producing maize over three generations suffered damage to liver and kidneys and showed alterations in blood biochemistry ◦Old and young mice fed with GM insecticide-producing maize showed a marked disturbance in immune system cell populations and in biochemical activity ◦Mice fed GM insecticide-producing maize over four generations showed a buildup of abnormal structural changes in various organs (liver, spleen, pancreas), major changes in the pattern of gene function in the gut, reflecting disturbances in the chemistry of this organ system (e.g. in cholesterol production, protein production and breakdown) and, most significantly, reduced fertility ◦Mice fed GM soya over their entire lifetime (24 months) showed more acute signs of ageing in their liver ◦Rabbits fed GM soya showed enzyme function disturbances in kidney and heart ◦Feeding studies with farm animals: ◦There are very few studies of this type that have looked directly at the long-term effects on farm animals. However, even these have shown problems: ◦GM DNA can survive processing and is detectable in the digestive tract of sheep. This raises the possibility that antibiotic resistance and Bt insecticide genes can move into gut bacteria, a process known as horizontal gene transfer. Horizontal gene transfer can lead to antibiotic resistant disease-causing bacteria ("superbugs") and may lead to Bt insecticide being produced in the gut with potentially harmful consequences. For years, regulators and the biotech industry claimed that horizontal gene transfer would not occur with GM DNA, but this research challenges this claim ◦Sheep fed Bt insecticide-producing GM maize over three generations showed disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system of ewes and in the liver and pancreas of their lambs 2. GM foods are not the answer to the world hunger. GM foods don't solve world hunger because there is not a shortage of food in this world. It is that some people have no access to food or have financial issues where they don't have food. 3.GM foods can harm the environment. Genetically modified crops can easily contaminate other crops. It also increases pesticide use. Well, with just this information alone, this should be convincing enough to prove why gm foods should be banned. But, there is more where that came from. Works Cited http://www.bangmfood.org... http://www.stopgm.org.uk...