A preliminary study by the Center for Ethics and Toxics in the North Coast town of Gualala, published July 1 in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found that soybeans altered to withstand Roundup might be nutritionally inferior to conventional soybeans. The altered soybeans contain reduced levels of phytoestrogens, substances in plants that are credited with guarding against heart disease and cancer, among other health benefits. In a 1998 preliminary study at Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, rats fed genetically modified potatoes suffered damaged organs and stunted growth compared with rats eating normal potatoes. A review panel formed by the Royal Society, a scientific body, challenged the research. Researcher Arpad Pusztas said the panel hadn't looked at his recent data.
Critics complain there is little study on the environmental effects of genetically altered plants.
The Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture found in 1998 that green lacewings suffered at wo-thirds increase in death rate when they fed on armyworms eating corn engineered to contain a bacteria toxic to crop pests. The Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee concluded the same year that female ladybugs that ate aphids that had fed on genetically modified potatoes laid fewer eggs and lived only half as long as the average ladybugs. In May, the British Medical Association warned that it was far too early to know whether genetically modified foods were safe. It opposed rapid introduction of the crops into Great Britain and advised a ban on imported foods if they weren't clearly labeled.