According to The Subcommittee on Science and Technology “The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific base has eroded and its scientific organizational structure is weak.” That statement was released in November of 2007 in this report. That being said this article will be an eye opener into the the failures of our FDA and in their inability to sufficiently protect the nations health. As each of the more recent articles starts with thanking Jeffery Smith and Dr. Michael Antoniou for their hard work which will be displayed throughout, along with the authors own findings.
Don’t forget to watch the documentary mentioned in the previous article called Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives. In the mean time enjoy the scientifically relevant information.
This next portion will divert just a small portion of space to the FDA. It is helpful to get some verification of the critical nature that the author has towards the FDA. The following is to put things into perspective so you, the reader, can be informed of just how inadequate the FDA is and how untrustworthy this agency has been. It isn’t so much that the people who work for the FDA are ‘bad’, as the author does not feel that is the case, as it is the system, and lack of focus towards their mission that is an issue that puts the public’s health at great risk. Part of it is simply trying to meet needs that are nearly unmeetable by rushing products in hopes they will save lives, yet often causing dire consequences. To add more critical review over the FDA, lets look to their mission statement.
“The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.”
The question that comes to mind is if whether or not the FDA has held themselves accountable to their mission statement? Or even come close to hitting the mark? Perhaps it would help to hear a word from the Subcommittee on Science and Technology that was prepared for the FDA Science Board in November 2007:
“The nation’s food supply is at risk. Crisis management in FDA’s two food safety centers, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), has drawn attention and resources away from FDA’s ability to develop the science base and infrastructure needed to efficiently support innovation in the food industry, provide effective routine surveillance, and conduct emergency outbreak investigation activities to protect the food supply.
FDA’s inability to keep up with scientific advances means that American lives are at risk. While the world of drug discovery and development has undergone revolutionary change - shifting from cellular to molecular and gene-based approaches - FDA’s evaluation methods have remained largely unchanged over the last half century. Likewise, evaluation methods have not kept pace with major advances in medical devices and use of products in combination.”
This critical assessment goes into great detail and can be read here. Learning about the FDA is essential for your safety and it is important to understand that just because it becomes FDA approved, does not mean it is safe, or the best choice there is as presented by The Subcommittee on Science & Technology above. It is important to bring the facts to surface and to see how the FDA can be improved or if whether or not something else should be put in place?
As illustrated wonderfully in this presentation by Dr. Micahel Antoniou (around 41 minute marker) Bt toxin is a health concern for the following reasons:
- Evidenced allergen and potent adjuvant in mammals (rats, sheep) even at low levels of exposure (Vazquez et al., 1999; Vazquez-Padron et al., 1999 & 2000; Kroghsbo et al., 2008; Adel-Patient et al., 2011; Trabalza-Marinucci et al., 2008).
- Possesses properties, which with sufficient exposure could lead to allergic reactions caused directly by itself or against other ingested foodstuffs.
- Immunogenic properties may account for the disturbing effects on immune system function observed in animal feeding studies (Finamore et al., 2008; Walsh et al., 2011).
Bt toxin type Cry1Ab:
- Present in commercialized GM crops (e.g. MON810 corn).
- Binds to human cells in tissue culture.
- Disturbances in cell energy production and exterior (plasma) membrane systems leading to cell death, albeit at relatively high levels (Mesnage et al., 2012).
To top it off researchers recently in 2011 within Canada found Bt toxin circulating within non-pregnant and pregnant women, including within the blood supply to fetus. This could be indicative of Bt toxin surviving digestion and entering the blood supply. Which ought to inspire more research to be done before GM Bt crops can be considered safe for humans.
- Pesticides associated to genetically modified foods (PAGMF), are engineered to tolerate herbicides such as glyphosate (GLYP) and gluphosinate (GLUF) or insecticides such as the bacterial toxin bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) . . . Blood of thirty pregnant women (PW) and thirty-nine nonpregnant women (NPW) were studied. Serum GLYP and GLUF were detected in NPW and not detected in PW. Serum 3-MPPA and CryAb1 toxin were detected in PW, their fetuses and NPW. This is the first study to reveal the presence of circulating PAGMF in women with and without pregnancy, paving the way for a new field in reproductive toxicology including nutrition and utero-placental toxicities. (full abstract)
Not many people would sign themselves up for neurodegeneration, however this is the risk humanity faces with herbicides in our water and food supply, such as Monsanto’s Round Up, which contains glyphosate. One of the biggest concerns is that glyphosate is potentially linked to Parkinson’s due to its neurotoxin capacity.
- Herbicides have been recognized as the main environmental factor associated with human neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies indicated that the exposure to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, is possibly linked to Parkinsonism, however the underlying mechanism remains unclear . . . Furthermore, the results showed that glyphosate induced cell death via autophagy pathways in addition to activating apoptotic pathways. Interestingly, deactivation of Beclin-1 gene attenuated both apoptosis and autophagy in glyphosate treated differentiated PC12 cells, suggesting that Beclin-1 gene is involved in the crosstalk between the two mechanisms. (full abstract)
Monsanto said in a report back in 1994 that glyphosate permits a thousand parts per billion in studies done by Monsanto in 1994 for drinking water and 70% of the glyphosate moved out of the body in 7 days and 30% is retained in organs, glands and primarily in bone marrow. The current California acceptable limit in drinking water is one thousand parts per billion. The European standard is 0.1 parts per billion. Supposedly Europe just has this standard for any and all pesticides and isn’t necessarily directly related to glyphosate found in drinking water.
The amount used in the toxicity study below is .1 parts per billion which is found as significantly toxic in the animals. In other words the California standard is 10,000 times higher than the study that demonstrated significant toxic levels. Glyphosate also breaks down into AMPA (the primary metabolite of glyphosate is aminomethylphosphonic acid) which acts as a genotoxic agent that is dangerous (PMID: 19013664) to your genes. The following abstract below is from a study previously discussed, however addressing the water round-up levels found in drinking water and potential toxicity.
- In conclusion, it was previously known that glyphosate consumption in water above authorized limits may provoke hepatic and kidney failures (EPA). The results of the study presented here clearly demonstrate that lower levels of complete agricultural glyphosate herbicide formulations, at concentrations well below officially set safety limits, induce severe hormone-dependent mammary, hepatic and kidney disturbances. Similarly, disruption of biosynthetic pathways that may result from overexpression of the EPSPS transgene in the GM NK603 maize can give rise to comparable pathologies that may be linked to abnormal or unbalanced phenolic acids metabolites, or related compounds. (full journal)
Because of all of this info concerning Monsanto and their many weapons against nature, it is helpful to shift the focus to some of the more interesting findings in regenerative medicine such as; alleviating Alzheimer’s disease in mice.
Review the data and remember that all evidence is suggestive. There will be at least one more article to wrap this investigative series up. Here is a great resource for Non-GMO information. To the Boise/Idaho readers visit this page (http://www.facebook.com/gmofreeidaho) to learn more on what you can do today to make a more informed decision at the grocery store.
More food for your mental digestive system from our comrade Abraham Lincoln.
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”
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