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Numerous example, lost 30 percent of the transgene during glyphosate, in cancer, birth defects, endocrine
studies in the insertion, and another of their Bt corns (Mon disorders, Parkinson’s, and damage to gut bac-
863) ended up a mutation within the transgene. teria. A 2013 paper in the journal Entropy goes
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past several If the original transgene sequences are changed, even further. Examining the biochemical impacts
years have then the amino acid sequences of proteins they of glyphosate on two key metabolic pathways, as
implicated produce in GMOs can similarly be altered, with well as its ability to bind with minerals and make
unpredictable side-effects.
them inassimilable, the authors link it to “most
Roundup, Even if the transgene gets into the plant of the diseases and conditions associated with a
or its active DNA unscathed, the transcription process from Western diet, which include gastrointestinal dis-
ingredient DNA to RNA may also introduce unpredicted orders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depres-
changes. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybean, sion, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s
glyphosate, in for example, does not produce the RNA that disease.”
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cancer, birth Monsanto engineers intended. Instead, because a
defects, portion of the genetic sequence they inserted into GENE TRANSFER
the plant’s DNA (the “termination” sequence)
Finally, transgenes inserted into GM crops
endocrine failed to function properly, the soybean actually can transfer to DNA of gut flora. According to
disorders, produces four RNA transcripts. These can pro- one of the only published human feeding studies
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Parkinson’s, duce proteins of different shapes and sequences. on GMOs, part of the transgenes from Roundup
And even if the RNA functions fine and pro-

Ready soybeans transferred into bacteria liv-
and damage duces the amino acids in the desired sequence, ing inside our intestines. In addition, the viral
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to gut they may be misfolded; or molecules may attach promoter, which turns on the gene and which
bacteria. themselves to the folded protein causing danger- forces continuous production of proteins, was
ous side-effects. For example, when Australian also transferred intact. The gut bacteria from
scientists inserted a gene from kidney beans the human subjects that had acquired these
into peas, the protein produced in a geneti- transgenes were not killed by glyphosate—
cally engineered pea had the right amino acid which is a powerful broad spectrum antibiotic.
sequence—the same as that produced in kidney The survival of these bacteria in the presence
beans. But the sugar molecules attached to the of glyphosate supports the likelihood that even
protein in the peas had a slightly different shape after being transferred into the DNA of the gut
from the molecules that attached themselves in flora, the soy transgenes continued to produce the
the natural beans. This slight change of the sugar Roundup Ready proteins. If so, even short term
chain (called glycosylation) was credited with exposure to GM foods might result in long-term
changing a harmless protein into a potentially exposure to transgenic proteins that are produced
deadly allergen. 28 continuously inside our digestive systems. The
medical consequences are unknown, but poten-
HERBICIDE DANGERS tially catastrophic. Consider the various genetic
The fourth danger concerns the large quan- components that might transfer and their implica-
tity of toxic herbicides used on GM herbicide- tions:
tolerant crops. The vast majority of GMOs are
herbicide tolerant—they allow specific herbi- • The Roundup Ready gene produces a protein
cides to be sprayed on fields without damaging that has properties of a dust mite allergen,
the GM plant. Roundup Ready soybeans, for and therefore fails the World Health Orga-
example, tolerate applications of Roundup her- nization’s recommended allergen screening
bicide. Herbicide-tolerant crops have led to an protocol. If produced by our own gut bacte-
increase in herbicide use of five hundred twenty- ria, this protein might continuously trigger
seven million pounds in the U.S. over the first immune reactions.
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sixteen years, and significantly higher levels of • The viral promoter has the capacity to
toxic residues in GM food. switch on unintended genes. It may therefore
Numerous studies in the past several years cause the overproduction of proteins from
have implicated Roundup, or its active ingredient randomly switched-on genes found within
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