Depending how many of you read The Body Blog on a consistent basis, you may remember a previous Health War segment called “Soy Benefits.” Well, the post on Fish Oil vs Flax Oil was so popular that I wanted to run another edition of The Health War right away but this time flip the coin on soy with some new research. Keep in mind while reading this that the study was done with genetically modified soy. It is undoubtedly different with organically farmed soy. Genetic modification has unknown consequences in humans because our life spans are so long studies won’t be coming out on humans for awhile. Especially with soy, if you find this interesting reading, I would next point you in the direction of the movie “The Future of Food” which you can link to watch for free on Hulu.
April 16, 2010
Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality
“This study was just routine,” said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov, in
what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and his
colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soy,
grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth or
reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar industry.
After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on the GM
diet, and especially the group on the maximum GM soy diet, showed
devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost
the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower growth, and a high
mortality rate among the pups.
And if this isn’t shocking enough, some in the third generation even had
hair growing inside their mouths-a phenomenon rarely seen, but apparently
more prevalent among hamsters eating GM soy.
The study, jointly conducted by Surov’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution
of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Association for Gene
Security, is expected to be published in three months (July 2010)-so the
technical details will have to wait. But Surov sketched out the basic set up
for me in an email.
He used Campbell hamsters, with a fast reproduction rate, divided into 4
groups. All were fed a normal diet, but one was without any soy, another had
non-GM soy, a third used GM soy, and a fourth contained higher amounts of GM
soy. They used 5 pairs of hamsters per group, each of which produced 7-8
litters, totally 140 animals.
Surov told <http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6524765.html> The Voice of
Russia,
“Originally, everything went smoothly. However, we noticed quite a serious
effect when we selected new pairs from their cubs and continued to feed them
as before. These pairs’ growth rate was slower and reached their sexual
maturity slowly.”
He selected new pairs from each group, which generated another 39 litters.
There were 52 pups born to the control group and 78 to the non-GM soy group.
In the GM soy group, however, only 40 pups were born. And of these, 25%
died. This was a fivefold higher death rate than the 5% seen among the
controls. Of the hamsters that ate high GM soy content, only a single female
hamster gave birth. She had 16 pups; about 20% died.
Surov said “The low numbers in F2 [third generation] showed that many
animals were sterile.”
The published paper will also include measurements of organ size for the
third generation animals, including testes, spleen, uterus, etc. And if the
team can raise sufficient funds, they will also analyze hormone levels in
collected blood samples.
Hair Growing in the Mouth
Earlier this year, Surov co-authored a paper in Doklady Biological Sciences
showing that in rare instances, hair grows inside recessed pouches in the
mouths of hamsters.
“Some of these pouches contained single hairs; others, thick bundles of
colorless or pigmented hairs reaching as high as the chewing surface of the
teeth. Sometimes, the tooth row was surrounded with a regular brush of hair
bundles on both sides. The hairs grew vertically and had sharp ends, often
covered with lumps of a mucous.”
“(a) The external appearance of the oral cavity. Gingival pouches (GP) with
thick bundles of hair growing from their mucous lining are clearly seen. (b)
Perforated bone tissue of the teeth of an adult Ph. campbelli. Numerous
hollows are seen. A, hair.”
From A. S. Baranov, O. F. Chernova, N. Yu. Feoktistova, and A. V. Surov, “A
New Example of Ectopia: Oral Hair in Some Rodent Species,” Doklady
Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 117-120, Original Russian Text (c)
A.S. Baranov, O.F. Chernova, N.Yu. Feoktistova, A.V. Surov, 2010, published
in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, Vol. 431, No. 4, pp. 559-562.
At the conclusion of the study, the authors surmise that such an astounding
defect may be due to the diet of hamsters raised in the laboratory. They
write, “This pathology may be exacerbated by elements of the food that are
absent in natural food, such as genetically modified (GM) ingredients (GM
soybean or maize meal) or contaminants (pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy
metals, etc.).” Indeed, the number of hairy mouthed hamsters was much higher
among the third generation of GM soy fed animals than anywhere Surov had
seen before.
Preliminary, But Ominous
Surov warns against jumping to early conclusions. He said, “It is quite
possible that the GMO does not cause these effects by itself.” Surov wants
to make the analysis of the feed components a priority, to discover just
what is causing the effect and how.
In addition to the GMOs, it could be contaminants, he said, or higher
herbicide residues, such as Roundup. There is in fact much higher levels of
Roundup on these beans; they’re called “Roundup Ready.” Bacterial genes are
forced into their DNA so that the plants can tolerate Monsanto’s Roundup
herbicide. Therefore, GM soy always carries the double threat of higher
herbicide content, couple with any side effects of genetic engineering.
Years of Reproductive Disorders from GMO-Feed
Surov’s hamsters are just the latest animals to suffer from reproductive
disorders after consuming GMOs. In 2005, Irina Ermakova, also with the
Russian National Academy of Sciences, reported that more than half the
<http://www.responsibletechnology.org/utility/showArticle/?objectID=299>
babies from mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks. This was also
five times higher than the 10% death rate of the non-GMO soy group. The
babies in the GM group were also smaller (see photo) and could not
reproduce.
In a telling coincidence, after Ermakova’s feeding trials, her laboratory
started feeding all the rats in the facility a commercial rat chow using GM
soy. Within two months, the infant mortality facility-wide reached 55%.
When Ermakova fed male rats GM soy, their testicles changed from the normal
pink to dark blue!
Italian scientists similarly found
<http://www.somloquesembrem.org/img_editor/file/Vecchioetal2004.pdf> changes
in mice testes (PDF), including damaged young sperm cells. Furthermore, the
DNA of embryos from parent mice fed GM soy functioned differently.
An Austrian government study published in November 2008 showed that the more
GM corn was fed to mice,
<http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/aktuell/zentek_studie_2008.pdf> the fewer
the babies they had (PDF), and the smaller the babies were.
Central Iowa Farmer Jerry Rosman also had trouble with pigs and cows
becoming sterile. Some of his pigs even had false pregnancies or gave birth
to bags of water. After months of investigations and testing, he finally
traced the problem to GM corn feed. Every time a newspaper, magazine, or TV
show reported Jerry’s problems, he would receive calls from more farmers
complaining of livestock sterility on their farm, linked to GM corn.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine accidentally discovered that rats
raised on corncob bedding “
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240732/> neither breed nor
exhibit reproductive behavior.” Tests on the corn material revealed two
compounds that stopped the sexual cycle in females “at concentrations
approximately two-hundredfold lower than classical phytoestrogens.” One
compound also curtailed male sexual behavior and both substances contributed
to the growth of breast and prostate cancer cell cultures. Researchers found
that the <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1314908/> amount of
the substances varied with GM corn varieties. The crushed corncob used at
Baylor was likely shipped from central Iowa, near the farm of Jerry Rosman
and others complaining of sterile livestock.
In Haryana, India, a team of investigating veterinarians report that buffalo
consuming GM cottonseed suffer from infertility, as well as frequent
abortions, premature deliveries, and prolapsed uteruses. Many adult and
young buffalo have also died mysteriously.
Denial, Attack and Canceled Follow-up
Scientists who discover adverse findings from GMOs are regularly attacked,
ridiculed, denied funding, and even fired. When Ermakova reported the high
infant mortality among GM soy fed offspring, for example, she appealed to
the scientific community to repeat and verify her preliminary results. She
also sought additional funds to analyze preserved organs. Instead, she was
attacked and vilified. Samples were stolen from her lab, papers were burnt
on her desk, and she said that her boss, under pressure from his boss, told
her to stop doing any more GMO research. No one has yet repeated Ermakova’s
simple, inexpensive studies.
In an attempt to offer her sympathy, one of her colleagues suggested that
maybe the GM soy will solve the over population problem!
Surov reports that so far, he has not been under any pressure.
Opting Out of the Massive GMO Feeding Experiment
Without detailed tests, no one can pinpoint exactly what is causing the
reproductive travesties in Russian hamsters and rats, Italian and Austrian
mice, and livestock in India and America. And we can only speculate about
the relationship between the introduction of genetically modified foods in
1996, and the corresponding upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility,
and other problems among the US population. But many scientists, physicians,
and concerned citizens don’t think that the public should remain the lab
animals for the biotech industry’s massive uncontrolled experiment.
Alexey Surov says, “We have no right to use GMOs until we understand the
possible adverse effects, not only to ourselves but to future generations as
well. We definitely need fully detailed studies to clarify this. Any type of
contamination has to be tested before we consume it, and GMO is just one of
them.”
It’s an interesting world out there. We can choose to turn a blind eye or take responsibility for our health. Buying organic may cost a little bit more in the short term but it we may be paying a much larger cost for years to come if we don’t. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!
