A long-term study completed by scientists showed how Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) could be a potential hazard to reproduction that affects infertility.
What is GMO?
Through methods of genetic engineering, foods are produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA. They’re basically doing a gene mix and match process between species and come up with a new organism.
Why do they do this?
They do this for many reasons such as to address the global crisis, to produce more crops, making crops better able to withstand drought, pests and increasing crop yield.
Notice today’s food supply when you go to supermarkets and grocery stores, you will see a very bright yellow-coloured, huge identical corn cobs with perfectly aligned kernels on it. How did it happen?
88% of corn grown in the US, including those added in processed foods and the staple of animal feeds are genetically engineered. Not only corn is genetically engineered, but there’s also soy, cottonseed, alfalfa, papaya, canola, sugar beets and many more. These foods have gone from its whole food form by swapping genes, creating a newly formed organism that isn’t part of the natural evolution process. In producing massive amounts of GMO Foods, it includes insertion and cloning of genes and species that make collateral destruction and results to changes and mutation of our nature. As per biophysics’ perspective, GMO’s are technically considered foreign because it does not exist anywhere in our nature.
We know that GMO Foods that almost all of us already consumed, are considered foreign because it’s made of the genetically engineered mix-and-match DNA sequence. Meanwhile, in the human body, when you dig deeper, the body’s immune system looks at the foreign DNA sequence from GMO foods, and the immune system won’t recognize it, so it will attack this foreign sequence and may result in inflammation. The gut is the first place to come into contact with the GMO food.
Since 1996, when GMO foods made it to our tables, various gut health-related inflammation has arisen in the US population such as IBS, IBD, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, constipation, and other gastrointestinal infections. It now makes sense why a huge percentage of the population had a massive increase in having allergies, autoimmune diseases and anything related to inflammation, and still continuously growing.
According to a research conducted by The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated ageing, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signalling, and protein formation, as well as changes in the liver, kidney, spleen, and gastrointestinal system.”. There was a conducted experiment with mice fed GMO foods that reported that the mice became sterile by the third generation. They produced smaller offspring and more than half of them only had a three-week lifespan. Both male and female mice had some changes in their reproductive system that is specifically linked to issues with fertility.
Although studies do not prove that GMO crops cause these side effects in humans, we have reasonable doubt that they are safe for consumption. I suggest switching to non-GMO or organic foods especially when trying to conceive or are already pregnant. There’s not much research and information about the long-term effects of GMO products on humans. There’s no guarantee that it’s safe for us and for our future children. Simply consuming foods that are in their natural and whole form is the best for your health.
Tips to avoiding GMO foods
1. Eat real whole food! Many processed foods contain GMO foods in their ingredients.
2. Buy organic. Foods that are labelled organic are legally not allowed to be genetically modified.
3. Read the label. Stickers on produce are coded to let you know how it is grown.
Conventionally grown produce has a 4-digit PLU code.
Genetically Modified produce has a 5-digit PLU code beginning with an 8.
Organically grown produce has a 5-digit PLU code beginning with a 9.
What to do next...
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American Academy of Environmental Medicine. Genetically Modified Foods. http://www.aaemonline.org/gmo.php
Aris, A. and Leblanc, S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in eastern townships of Quebec, Canada. Repro. Toxic. 2011; 31(4): 528-533.
Carman, J.A., et al. A long-term toxicology study on pigs fed a combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet. J. Organic Systems. 2013; 8(1): 38-54.
Gao, M., Li, B., Yuan, W., Zhao, L., and Zhang, X. Hypothetical link between infertility and genetically modified food. Recent Pat Food Nutr. Agric. 2014; 6(1): 16-22.
Reese, W., Schubert D. Safety testing and regulation of genetically engineered foods. Biotechnol. Genet. Eng. Rev. 2004; 21: 299-324.
Rodriguez, Heather. Research indicates that GMO could be a cause of infertility. http://natural-fertility-info.com/gmo-infertility.html
Schubert, D. A different perspective on GM food. Nat. Biotechnol. 2002; 20: 969.
Spisak, S. et al. Complete genes may pass from food to human blood. PLOS One. 2013; 8(7): e69805.
Van der Voet, H., et al. Equivalence testing using existing reference data: An example with genetically modified and convential grown crops in animal feeding studies. Food & Chem Tox. 2017; 109(1): 472-485.