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Fri, 23 Dec 2005

GM Peas Caused Dangerous Immune Response in Mice

By Jeffrey M. Smith

Reprinted with permission from the Responsible Technology newsletter, Spilling The Beans. Jeffrey M. Smith is the author of Seeds of Deception, and is working with a team of international scientists to compile all known risks of GM foods.

Article Summary

Genetically modified (GM) peas under development created immune responses in mice, suggesting that they may also create serious allergic reactions in people. The peas had been inserted with a gene from kidney beans, which creates a protein that acts as a pesticide. When this protein is produced naturally in beans, it does not elicit a response from mice. When produced in the GM peas, however, it did cause a reaction. Using sensitive testing methods, scientists discovered subtle differences between the bean and the GM proteins—the added sugar chains were slightly different. They speculate that this difference caused the immune reactions. Based on the results of the study, the Australian developers abandoned their 10-year, $2 million project.

This study reveals serious and potentially deadly flaws in the regulations and assessments used to approve GM foods. GM crops on the market, like corn and soybeans, were never tested for immune responses using animals and never subjected to a similar analysis of their proteins. Thus, the transgenic proteins in GM foods may have subtle undetected differences that are causing health problems. It is sobering to note that if the GM peas were tested with only the methods used on soy and corn, it likely would have been approved as well.

Read The Article on GM Peas

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Read SV Review: 'Seeds of Deception' by Jeffrey M. Smith