The corn, soy, and beets are on fire… let the GMOs burn!

via: NaturalNews
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
By: S. D. Wells

[NaturalNews] It is EPIC IRONY that certain genetically modified vegetables, namely corn, soy and beets, are burning up in the summer heat and drought that is devastating the entire Midwestern United States. There is a certain serendipitous irony, like bad karma coming home to roost for the greedy corporations that continually put profits ahead of human health and wellness. There’s always a price to be paid for unethical business practices, and just about every vegetarian and vegan knows the truth about the detriments to your health from eating vegetables that come from seedlings which are bred with pesticide in a laboratory.

Right now, as you read this, massive amounts of dried up and cracking dirt is strangulating nearly 40 percent of the genetically modified CORN, SOY, and BEET roots, and in some hauntingly similar way, those toxic vegetables have been slowly strangulating the masses who have been consuming them for the past 15 to 20 years.

GMO equals short term profits and shorter human life

Pesticide is now growing inside of the most popular vegetation, thanks to the last two decades of “Ag-science,” (agricultural science) figuring out how to engineer toxic pest killers as part of the plants’ genetic makeup. Now, thanks to plant immunity to RoundUp pesticide, at least five to ten times more pesticide is dumped onto the vegetation as it grows in America’s fields. This means fewer worms, fewer insects, and fewer turtles and rabbits eating away at the plants, which means higher profits for “sell out” farmers and the contributing corporations. Or does it? Human beings can’t eat pesticide or we get cancer, and so as we do “EAT CANCER,” huge pharmaceutical firms prosper, and it just further assists them in running the country, the politicians, Western Medicine and the mainstream media. (
http://programs.webseed.com/Dont_Eat_Cancer__TV.htm
)

The greatest monopoly to ever besiege mankind is the merger of the U.S. food industry with the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. (
http://www.naturalnews.com/030394_GMO_plant_pharmas.html
) Perpetuated myths invade the masses via media tricks and ad campaigns, and most people have no idea they are eating pesticide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. The cleansing and detoxifying organs, like the kidneys, pancreas and liver are being overwhelmed with GMO toxins and food additives.

Soy myth!

It’s becoming very difficult to find any soy which is truly organic. Most soy in America is genetically modified, processed, and causes extreme health detriment. Do you drink soy milk because you’re trying to avoid dairy? Switch to almond milk or rice milk right away. Why? Soybeans contain HAEMGGLUTININ, which is a clot promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. This is what leads to strokes. Also, soy beans contain natural toxins or “anti-nutrients” and are considered enzyme inhibitors, because they block the action of trypsin and other enzymes that humans need for protein digestion. These can produce serious gastric distress and cause chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, they cause enlargement of pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.

Soy consumption also increases estrogen. Research shows that hamsters fed with GM soy were unable to have offspring and suffered a high mortality rate. Also, steer clear of soy protein isolate, found in most protein shakes and protein bars. Hexane, a petroleum solvent similar to gasoline, is used in the processing phases of soy, and remnants are found in all non-organic soy based food. Oh, but you will never find hexane on the label.

Corn plague!

Genetically modified corn does NOT feed the entire world, it poisons the entire world. Frankencorn is laden with pesticides inside and out, and America breeds it and feeds countries and most livestock this toxic, insidious food product, as if it’s just normal daily business. This drought is more like some ancient Egyptian plague for these huge biotech corporations like Monsanto and Dow. This drought is like something out of the Ten Commandments.

Monsanto’s Bt-sweet “Frankencorn,” the agri-giant’s first ever GM corn product, is made available as whole ears right on the cob, so it’s not just the processed corn products to watch out for anymore. (
http://www.naturalnews.com
)

“What will farmers use to feed livestock if there’s no corn?!” The behind-the-scenes-truth is that corn and grain based animal feed cause digestive infections and disorders in the animals. Those “corporate” infections (and the antibiotics given to treat them) are passed on to carnivores all over the world.

“Agent Orange” corn on the rise like a Grim Reaper: Enlist, known by its critics as “Agent Orange” corn, is created by Dow AgroScience and is engineered to be immune to 2,4-D, an ingredient used in Vietnam that lead to thousands of soldiers coming back from the war with cancer. Farmers can douse their crop with this lethal pesticide and boost profits, all while fueling the $100 billion cancer industry. Studies show that 2,4-D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects.

Monsanto GM beets for MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE; who knew?

Anyone wondering why the biotech giant Monsanto would patent beets and prosecute organic farmers for keeping their seeds? You may be thinking that there can’t be massive consumption of beets, like there is of corn and soy, but think again. That concentrated salt (MSG) that gives you migraine headaches, causes your children to vomit, and gives infants brain damage, is mass produced and mass distributed in nearly every salty, non-organic product known to mankind. You’ll even find it in products that claim to be “all natural.” (
http://www.naturalnews.com/024417_sugar_Roundup_beets.html
)

Plus, the sugar beet pulp is a processed by-product widely used as feed supplements for livestock. Farmers across the country are planting Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beet, genetically engineered for resistance to Monsanto’s herbicide glyphosate (marketed as Roundup). Up to 95 percent of the sugar beet crop in Idaho alone is GM, totaling 150,000 out of 167,000 acres. Half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from pesticide laden sugar beets, creating UNPRECEDENTED health and environmental risks.

When did all the MSG mayhem kick into full gear? Back in 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the classification of Roundup Ready sugar beets from regulated to “deregulated.” Basically, the USDA and the FDA failed to conduct research into the impacts of humans eating Roundup pesticide.

The great 2012 drought – A blessing in disguise

Unfortunately, there are many innocent organic farmers suffering from the drought too. However, we don’t need GM corn, soy and beets, so let those prices rise. If corn and soy prices went up 100 percent instead of what the media is warning about (four percent), it would be a blessing. Maybe then the masses who think GM means the “evolution of farming” would stop buying cancer causing food and start buying organic food that heals the body and PREVENTS DISEASE. It’s your choice every day, every meal. Every penny you spend can feed pollution and disease, or promote nutrition.

Here are some helpful links for donating funds and/or joining the organic food mission:

1. 
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm

2. 
http://www.naturalnews.com

3. 
http://www.naturalnews.com/031784_organic_foods.html

4. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com

5. 
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

Join the movement and the life-long mission, if you have not already. Buy organic food and easy recipe books and videos/guides and start making your own chips and dips, with organic spices and herbs. And don’t you dare complain that you can’t afford it, because what you can’t afford is to get DIABETES, CANCER, HEART DISEASE AND ALZHEIMER’S.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.worthington-biochem.com/try/default.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/035029_GM_corn_Walmart_Monsanto.html

http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetables/p/Beets.htm

http://www.naturalnews.com/035734_GMOs_foods_dangers.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm

http://www.naturalnews.com/031784_organic_foods.html

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.msgexposed.com/doritos-extreme-msg-dangerously-bold-indeed/

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Read More At: NaturalNews.com

GMOs cause animals to lose their ability to reproduce, Russian scientists discover

via: NaturalNews
Monday, August 06, 2012
By: Jonathan Benson

[NaturalNews] A study presented at the Days of Defense Against Environmental Hazards in Russia has unveiled once again the implicit dangers associated with the consumption of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). According to Voice of Russia, scientists from the National Association for Gene Security and the Institute of Ecological and Evolutional Problems discovered that animals fed GMOs as part of their normal diet eventually develop the inability to reproduce.

A shocking revelation; the study is one of several that has identified a link between GMO consumption and infertility in recent years. And because it was conducted independently of the biotechnology industry, it came to far different conclusions than have most of the studies offered up for mainstream consumption in defense of GMOs.

Using hamsters as the test subjects, scientists observed that consumption of GM soybeans, which have never been a part of these creatures’ normal diets, tended to slow sexual maturity and gradually eliminate the ability to reproduce. After several generations, hamsters consuming the “Frankensoy” eventually lost their innate ability to reproduce.

“We selected several groups of hamsters, kept them in pairs in cells and gave them ordinary food as always,” said Dr. Alexei Surov, one of the authors of the study. “We did not add anything for one group but the other was fed with soya that contained no GM components, while the third group with some content of Genetically Modified Organisms and the fourth one with increased amount of GMO.”

Dr. Surov and his team then monitored the various groups of cubs, including their rates of growth and birthing frequencies, and compared their findings to the cubs’ diets. After several generations of cubs breeding with each other, the team observed that those cubs who ate GMOs as part of their diet eventually became completely sterile.

“[W]e noticed quite a serious effect when we selected new pairs from [the] cubs and continued to feed them as before,” added Dr. Surov. “These pairs’ growth rate was slower and reached their sexual maturity slowly. When we got some of their cubs, we formed the new pairs of the third generation. We failed to get cubs from these pairs, which were fed with GM foodstuffs. It was proved that these pairs lost their ability to give birth to their cubs.”

Will widespread GMO consumption make future generations of humans infertile?

An Austrian study uncovered similar harm in mice that consumed GM corn. An immediate consequence among the mice eating the “Frankencorn” was that their offspring weighed less than normal, and overall litter size became smaller. After three or four generations, mice who came from GMO-eating parents and grandparents became completely infertile. (
http://www.naturalnews.com
)

Farmers across the U.S. have also reported infertility among pigs and cows that consume GM feed. And in India, an investigatory team observed infertility and other serious problems among buffalo that were consuming GM cottonseed.

Sources for this article include:

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6524765.html

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Continue Reading At: NaturalNews.com

Monsanto defrauded GM corn field workers, lawsuit claims

via: NaturalNews
Monday, July 30, 2012
By: Ethan A. Huff

[NaturalNews] Monsanto, the most evil corporation in the world (
http://www.naturalnews.com/030967_Monsanto_evil.html
), is the subject of yet another lawsuit in which plaintiffs claim the agri-giant lied to them and ripped them off. Courthouse News Service (CNS) reports that Monsanto recently recruited several agricultural workers in Texas with promises of high pay and free housing, but instead tricked them into working for pittance, and living in substandard housing equivalent to that found in third-world countries.

Jose Cardenas and several others say that, back in 2010, they were recruited for agricultural work near the Texas border town of McAllen by a company known as Milo Inc., which was in cahoots with Monsanto. Cardenas and at least seven others were told that if they agreed to work in Monsanto’s genetically-modified (GM) corn fields in Indiana, they would receive free housing with kitchens, and would be paid $80 per acre for de-tasseling “Frankencorn.”

The workers were also told that if they agreed to weed the fields in addition to removing the pollen-producing flowers from the tops of corn plants, they would receive an additional cash bonus. According to the lawsuit, Milo Inc. President Hermilo Cantu Jr., working on behalf of Monsanto, basically promised Cardenas and the others the world, which convinced them to agree to the promised terms and relocate to Indiana.

But when Cardenas and the other plaintiffs arrived in Indiana, the “free housing” they were promised turned out to be a run-down motel that “did not comply with substantive federal and state safety and health standards applicable to agricultural labor housing.” The “kitchens” also turned out to be an old school bus that had been outfitted with makeshift stoves and a few refrigerators. The school bus did not have proper lighting or ventilation, and it did not have enough tables and chairs to accommodate all the workers, alleges the lawsuit.

Continue Reading At: NaturalNews.com

Top 10 GMO Foods to Avoid

via: NaturalSociety
by: Elizabeth Renter
July 28, 2012

It’s important to note that steering clear from these foods completely may be difficult, and you should merely try finding other sources than your big chain grocer. If produce is certified USDA-organic, it’s non-GMO (or supposed to be!) Also, seek out local farmers and booths at farmer’s markets where you can be ensured the crops aren’t GMO. Even better, if you are so inclined: Start organic gardening and grow them yourself

Top 10 Worst GMO Foods for Your GMO Foods List

1. Corn: This is a no-brainer. If you’ve watched any food documentary, you know corn is highly modified. “As many as half of all U.S. farms growing corn for Monsanto are using genetically modified corn,” and much of it is intended for human consumption. Monsanto’s GMO corn has been tied to numerous health issues, including weight gain and organ disruption.

2. Soy: Found in tofu, vegetarian products, soybean oil, soy flour, and numerous other products, soy is also modified to resist herbicides. As of now, biotech giant Monsanto still has a tight grasp on the soybean market, with approximately 90 percent of soy being genetically engineered to resist Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. In one single year, 2006, 96.7 million pounds of glyphosate was sprayed on soybeans alone

3. Sugar: According to NaturalNews, genetically-modified sugar beets were introduced to the U.S. market in 2009. Like others, they’ve been modified by Monsanto to resist herbicides. Monsanto has even had USDA and court-related issues with the planting of it’s sugarbeets, being ordered to remove seeds from the soil due to illegal approval.

4. Aspartame: Aspartame is a toxic additive used in numerous food products, and should be avoided for numerous reasons, including the fact that it is created with genetically modified bacteria.

5. Papayas: This one may come as a surprise to all of you tropical-fruit lovers. GMO papayas have been grown in Hawaii for consumption since 1999. Though they can’t be sold to countries in the European Union, they are welcome with open arms in the U.S. and Canada.

6. Canola: One of the most chemically altered foods in the U.S. diet, canola oil is obtained from rapeseed through a series of chemical actions.

7. Cotton: Found in cotton oil, cotton originating in India and China in particular has serious risks.

8. Dairy: Your dairy products contain growth hormones, with as many as one-fifth of all dairy cows in America are pumped with these hormones. In fact, Monasnto’s health-hazardous rBGH has been banned in 27 countries, but is still in most US cows. If you must drink milk, buy organic.

9. and 10. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Closely related, these two squash varieties are modified to resist viruses.

The dangers of some of these foods are well-known. The Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. But perhaps more frightening are the risks that are still unknown.

With little regulation and safety tests performed by the companies doing the genetic modifications themselves, we have no way of knowing for certain what risks these lab-created foods pose to us outside of what we already know.

The best advice: steer clear of them altogether.

Additional Sources:

NaturalNews

Read More At: NaturalSociety.com

New Dirty Dozen: 12 Fruit and Vegetables to Always Buy Organic, Plus the Clean 15

via: NaturalSociety
by: Kelsey Coy
July 24, 2012

For the eighth year in a row, the Environmental Watch Group (EWG) has published an updated ‘shopper’s guide’ based on a comprehensive analysis of government pesticide testing data of 45 different fruit and vegetables. The guide includes the ‘dirty dozen:’ the twelve foods most commonly contaminated with pesticides, as well as the ‘clean fifteen:’ the fifteen least contaminated foods. This year the dirty dozen also includes a ‘plus’ category, warning about two foods containing particularly concerning organophospates, insecticides that are known reproductive and neurotoxins. The use of organophosphates have been significantly reduced in the past decade, but is yet to be banned, and this year, a number of crops still tested positive. The journal Environmental Health Perspectives contains 25 articles published in the past week analyzing and discussing the dangers or organophosphates in our food supply.

Also new this year, researchers investigated the pesticide content of 190 samples of baby food, with rather alarming results.

As the EWG simply and frankly reminds us, ‘Pesticides are toxic by design. They are created expressly to kill living organisms — insects, plants, and fungi that are considered “pests.” Many pesticides pose health dangers to people. These risks have been established by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.” The U.S. and international government agencies have linked pesticides to health problems spanning brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormonal disruption and skin, eye and lung irritation. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under pressure from The American Crop Protection Association, largely representative of the pesticide industry, has failed to apply adequate protective measures in regulating our food supply. One might well ask whether it is wiser to protect a country’s crops or its population.

The Dirty Dozen

Without further ado, the dirty dozen:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Sweet bell peppers
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce
10. Cucumbers
11. Blueberries (domestic)
12. Potatoes

Plus 2 more to add to the dirty dozen:

1. Green beans
2. Kale/Collard Greens

Going into a little more detail for the dirty dozen, 100 percent of imported nectarines tested positive for pesticides, as well as 98% of apples and 96% of plums. Grapes had 15 pesticides in a single sample, while blueberries and strawberries each had 13. As an entire category, grape samples contained 64 different pesticides; bell peppers had 88 different residues, cucumbers 81 and lettuce 78.

The Clean Fifteen

And the clean fifteen:

1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Cantaloupe (domestic)
12. Sweet Potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
15. Mushrooms

Highlights of the clean fifteen include pineapples, in which fewer than 10% of samples contained pesticides, mangoes and kiwis, both of which were completely free of pesticides more than 75% of the time, and watermelon and domestic cantaloupe over 60% of the time. Among vegetables, no samples of sweet corn and onions had more than one pesticide and more than 90% of cabbage, asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant and sweet potato samples contained no more than one pesticide.

One additional concern to consider: sweet corn, although it may contain less pesticide residues, is quite commonly genetically modified in the U.S. While genetically modified organisms (GMO) are banned or significantly restricted in Australia, Japan and throughout the European Union, the industry is still at large in the U.S., and no labeling is required by the federal government. For this reason, it is recommended that sweet corn consumption also be limited to organic.

Among baby food, green beans and pears were especially disturbing: almost 10% of green beans contained the organophosphate methamidiphos in amounts that could easily increase risk for brain and nervous system damage in infants consuming a four-ounce serving of green beans on a regular basis. 92% of pear samples tested positive for at least one pesticide and over a quarter of samples contained five or more, including iprodione, categorized by the EPA as a probable human carcinogen, and not registered for use on pears. In fact, the presence of iprodione in pears of any kind constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

While there is no question that Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables, it’s worth taking an extra step to make sure that produce is delivering the nutrition it’s supposed to, and nothing it’s not. Pause for a moment. Want some neurotoxins with that salad? I didn’t think so.

Additional Sources:

Environmental Working Group

Duke Law Journal

United States Census Bureau

Read More At: NaturalSociety.com

Top 5 GMO Foods To Watch Out For

via: Care2.com
by: Beth Buczynski
July 7, 2012

As you may or may not know by now, the United States government has allowed genetically modified and engineered organisms to enter the public food supply with no warning. Every day, millions of people unknowingly ingest these GMOs because corporations like Monsanto (and the politicians they’ve bought and paid for) claim it’s unfair to require them to label their products.

Multiple scientific studies have linked GMOs to illness, disease, and mutation in plants, animals and humans. These adverse affects have been found to be especially pronounced in pregnant women and children, consequently a demographic that is more apt to eat the low price, processed foods that carry most of the world’s GMO’s.

Until such time as the state or federal government decides to finally stand up for the American consumer by passing mandatory GMO labeling laws, the only way to protect yourself from these toxic “foods” is to avoid buying and eating them.

FoodConsumer’s Marie Cendejas recently published a list of the top 10 GMO foods that you should avoid at all costs. We’ve pared down the list to five GMOs we think are especially gross or dangerous.

These are the foods that are worth the extra time it may take to research origins and the extra money it may cost to buy organic. As always, buying local is ideal, because you can contact the farmer directly to ask what kinds of seeds are used.

1. Tomatoes

Did you know tomatoes were the first genetically modified crop to be commercially available in the U.S.? (Probably not since the government didn’t tell us and they aren’t labeled). In 1994, transgenic tomatoes (known as the FlavrSavr) hit the market. They contained a “deactivated” gene that was supposed to prevent the fruit from getting soft as it ripened. It didn’t work as well as biotech companies hoped. Now, experts are praising a new technique whereby two enzymes, (A-Man, B-hex) are suppressed. Unfortunately, there have been reports that some animals have died shortly after consuming GMO tomatoes. Yum.

2. Corn

This one is tough, because even foods that you wouldn’t normally associate with corn have ingredients, like sweeteners, that are derived from GMO corn. As Care2′s Jaelithe Judy reports, genetically modified corn and soybeans were developed by Monsanto in the 1990s to be resistant to the synthetic herbicide glyphosate (better known by Monsanto’s trademarked name for the weedkiller, Roundup). Now, more than 70 percent of corn produced in the United States are the genetically modified, herbicide-resistant variety. Fresh corn from Walmart should be especially avoided.

3. Papayas

In the late 1980′s biotech researchers developed a papaya cultivar that would be resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus. To do this, certain viral genes encoding capsid proteins were transferred to the papaya genome. Now, GMO papaya make up about 75 percent of the total Hawaiian papaya crop.

4. Rice

Rice is considered to be one of the world’s staple crops. In many areas, it has been genetically modified to contain a high amount of vitamin A. More recently, it was discovered that an American company, Ventria Bioscience, has been cultivating rice that’s genetically modified (GM) with genes from the human liver. Although the company claims it’s only producing this rice to help speed pharmacuetical research, it’s growing it in open, outdoor fields. Meaning crops nearby can be unknowingly contaminated. China, which grows and consumes a huge percentage of the global rice supply, recently suspended distribution of genetically modified rice within its commercial food suppliesover growing concern about its safety.

5. Potatoes

Potatoes were once one of the world’s most important staple crops, but thanks to growing awareness about the harm of too many empty carbohydrates, demand for potatoes as food has waned slightly in the past few years. Desperate for a way to infuse potatoes with more nutrients, researchers in India created a potato with thirty-five to sixty percent more protein using genes from the amaranth seeds. The potato is still very valuable to the starch and chemical industry, however. In order to protect these starch crops from pets and disease, potatoes are sometimes genetically modified with Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki Cry 1. Yet, mice fed GE potatoes have shown abnormal amounts of toxins in their systems. Also, according to Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, Willaman Professor of Life Sciences and Evan Pugh Professor at Pennsylvania State University found that “rats fed the transgenic potatoes had significantly lower organ weights.”

Source: Care2.com

Is Fructose As Addictive As Alcohol?

via: GreenMedInfo
by: Sayer Ji
July 2, 2012

Fructose, which literally means “fruit sugar,”* sounds so sweet and innocent. And indeed, when incorporated into the diet in moderate amounts in the form of fruit – always organic and raw, when possible – it’s about as pure and wholesome as as a nutrient can get.

Not so for industrially processed fructose in isolate form, which may be as addictive as alcohol,[i] and perhaps even morphine [ii] [iii]and which according to USDA research published in 2008 into major trends in U.S. food consumption patterns, 1970-2005, we now consume at the rate of at least 50 lbs a year — the 800 ounce gorilla in the room.[iv]

Our dietary exposure to fructose, of course, is primarily through either sugar (sucrose), which is a disaccharide comprised of 50% fructose and 50% glucose by weight, or through high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is mostly a 55% fructose and 45% glucose blend of monosaccharides, but goes as high as 90% fructose and 10% glucose in HFCS-90 form.  Pasteurized fruit juices are another concentrated source of fructose, but increasingly, even pasteurized fruit juice is being adulterated with additional sugar or HFCS for reasons that have mostly to do with protecting the manufacturer’s bottom line.

Because high-fructose corn syrup contains free-form monosaccharides of fructose and glucose, it cannot be considered biologically equivalent to sucrose, which has a glycosidic bond that links the fructose and glucose together, and which slows its break down in the body. The attempt by the HFCS industry to re-label their product as “corn sugar,” which was recently denied by the FDA,[v]belies their anxiety about the differences, and also reveals growing awareness among the public of isolated fructose’s inherently toxic properties.

The reality is that fructose can cause far more damage than glucose, and we must look beyond caloric equivalences to understand this. While in times of need (e.g. starvation), fructose is as effective as glucose in replenishing glycogen stores, in “hypercaloric” states of excess consumption, it can lead to a process of glycation

For example, in vitro studies show that fructose damages proteins seven times more rapidily than glucose through a process known as protein fructosylation, which is when a sugar undergoes a Malliard reaction with a protein, which basically results in the caramelization of blood and tissue contents, “gumming up the works.” For example, if you try baking a pastry made with fructose, instead of white sugar, it will brown much more rapidly as a result of this Malliard reactivity.

So toxic is “purified” fructose that here at GreenMedInfo we have indexed research on over 70 adverse health effects of industrially-isolated fructose, which include:

• Insulin Resistance (32 studies)
• Fatty Liver (22 studies)
• Obesity (13 studies)
• Metabolic Syndrome (19 studies)
• Hypertension (10 studies)
• Elevated Uric Acid (9 studies)
• Elevated Triglycerides (14 studies)
• Belly Fat (2 studies)
• Cardiovascular Diseases (4 studies)
• Liver Stress (6 studies)
• Pancreatic Cancer (2 studies)
• Leptin Resistance (2 studies)

To view the first hand research on 70+ forms of fructose toxicity click the hyperlink.

Like many foods consumed en masse, which may have a lesser known dark side (e.g. wheat), our global fixation on fructose may reveal something about it’s hitherto underappreciated addictive properties.

Fructose’s Drug-like Hold On Our Bodies

Fructose addiction and alcoholism, in fact, share a number of parallels. In an article titled, “Fructose: metabolic, hedonic, and societal parallels with ethanol,” published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2010, Robert H. Lustig, MD broke new ground by identifying the great similarities between these two substances:

Rates of fructose consumption continue to rise nationwide and have been linked to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Because obesity has been equated with addiction, and because of their evolutionary commonalities, we chose to examine the metabolic, hedonic, and societal similarities between fructose and its fermentation byproduct ethanol. Elucidation of fructose metabolism in liver and fructose action in brain demonstrate three parallelisms with ethanol. First, hepatic fructose metabolism is similar to ethanol, as they both serve as substrates for de novo lipogenesis, and in the process both promote hepatic insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis. Second, fructosylation of proteins with resultant superoxide formation can result in hepatic inflammation similar to acetaldehyde, an intermediary metabolite of ethanol. Lastly, by stimulating the “hedonic pathway” of the brain both directly and indirectly, fructose creates habituation, and possibly dependence; also paralleling ethanol. Thus, fructose induces alterations in both hepatic metabolism and central nervous system energy signaling, leading to a “vicious cycle” of excessive consumption and disease consistent with metabolic syndrome. On a societal level, the treatment of fructose as a commodity exhibits market similarities to ethanol. Analogous to ethanol, societal efforts to reduce fructose consumption will likely be necessary to combat the obesity epidemic.

While the parallel between fructose and alcohol consumption may seem strange, the intimate connection between what we eat and our psychological health is beginning to gain wider recognition, especially considering new research linking aggression to trans fatty acid consumption, episodes of acute wheat mania, and the widespread presence of opiates in common foods.

It may come as a surprise to many, but there is a fructose-opiate infatuation deeply embedded within mammalian biology, which has been the subject of scientific investigation since the late 80′s. A study published in the European Journal of Pharmacology in 1988 found that both glucose and fructose were capable of antagonizing morphine-induced pain killing effects, likely due to the direct opioid effects of these sugars or their metabolic byproducts on the central nervous system. In fact, the researchers found that fructose was more potent than glucose in accomplishing these effects.

Could the narcotic properties of fructose, or one of its metabolic byproducts, explain why we would consume such vast quantities of something so inherently harmful to our bodies?

As it turns out, not only has fructose’s manifold toxic properties been studied, but researchers have also investigated what natural substances reduce fructose’s adverse effects.

GreenMedInfo contains research on 21 natural compounds with fructose toxicity attenuating action, including

• Berberine
• Fish Oil
• Astaxanthin
• Bitter Melon
• Chlorella
• Coconut Water
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Holy Basil
• Quinoa
• Resveratrol
• Spirulina

To view them all, you can visit our Fructose-Induced Toxicity page.

Ultimately, avoiding fructose in any other than its naturally embedded form in the intelligent and infinitely complex structures of food, e.g. fruit, is ideal. Food cravings for sweets, after all, may conceal unmet emotional or spiritual needs, so sometimes it is best to search deeper within for the answers. Or, using natural non- or low-calorie sweeteners like xylitol or stevia may also take the edge off an intense sweet tooth.

But, beyond the increasingly obvious adverse effects of isolated fructose to human health, is the “hidden” damage that fructose does to environmental/planetary health. This is because fructose from HFCS is invariably produced from genetically modified (GM) corn, which requires massive environmental inputs of harmful pesticides, glyphosate, gene products with the ability to transfer horizontally, and other unsustainable practices. The “hidden tax” of fructose consumption is the accelerating, GM-mediated destruction of the biosphere, without which human health and human existence, is not possible — which adds a highly bitter twist to the saccharine sweet story of fructose’s dark side.

*Fructose: derived from Latin fructus (“fruit”) + -ose (“sugar”).

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[i] Fructose: metabolic, hedonic, and societal parallels with ethanol. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Sep ;110(9):1307-21.

[ii] Antagonism of the morphine-induced locomotor activation of mice by fructose: comparison with other opiates and sugars, and sugar effects on brain morphine. Life Sci. 1991 ;49(10):727-34.

[iii] Antagonism of antinociception in mice by glucose and fructose: comparison of subcutaneous and intrathecal morphine. Eur J Pharmacol. 1988 Feb 9 ;146(2-3):337-40.

[iv] USDA Economic Research Service, Dietary Assessment of Major Trends in U.S. Food Consumption, 1970-2005

[v] Packaging Digest, FDA rejects renaming of high-fructose corn syrup, 6/7/2012

Source: GreenMedInfo.com

Monsanto-Funded Science Denies Emerging Roundup-Cancer Link

Via: Activist Post
Sayer Ji, Contributor
Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Monsanto-funded research has been proliferating as uncontrollably as their genetically modified (GM) plants, and the bugs increasingly resistant to them.

Two studies have appeared in scientific journals in the past eight months, both funded by Monsanto, and both discrediting a Roundup herbicide-cancer link.[i] [ii]

The context within which these new studies are appearing is the growing body of experimental research indicating that the active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, along with the surfactants and related “inactive” ingredients found within glyphosate-based formulations, cause genetic damage associated with cancer initiation, and at levels far below those used agricultural applications and associated with real-world exposures.[iii] [iv] [v] [vi] [vii]

This has put manufacturers and proponents of glyphosate, as well as “Roundup Ready” GM plants in a vulnerable position.

If, the precautionary principle is employed and a much-needed reclassification of glyphosate as a class III carcinogen to a class II or I occurs, the increasingly global dominance of GM-based food crop systems will come to a screeching, regulation-induced halt.

So, given the threat posed by non-industry funded research on glyphosate’s toxicity, Monsanto has been putting money into research and development — but not in the reputable sense of the phrase — bypaying for research to develop the storyline that, despite damning research to contrary, Roundup is still safe.

Read More At ActivistPost.com 

The One and Only Way You Can Tell if a Food is GMO-Free

Mercola
February 29 2012
By: Dr. Mercola

Story at-a-glance Vermont has recently introduced bill H.722, requiring labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. Such products would also be prohibited from using advertising or promotional material that states or implies that the food is “natural”. If passed, the bill will take effect in 2014 Other US states pushing for mandatory labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods include California, Michigan and Washington Mandatory labeling of GM foods is becoming even more important to counteract laws that prevent anti-GMO efforts. So far, 14 US states have passed laws to protect the unabated expansion of GM seed use. Pending legislation in Michigan now also seeks to prohibit local governments from passing ordinances that impede or prohibit the use of GM seeds of all kinds

A bill has recently been introduced in the Vermont state legislature that would require food to be labeled as genetically engineered if it is entirely or partially produced with genetically engineered ingredients.

If passed, the bill, H.722, also known as the ‘VT Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act’ ⁱ, will take effect in 2014.

The bill also forbids any such food from using advertising or promotional material that states or implies that the food is:

• “natural”
• “naturally made”
• “naturally grown”
• “all natural,” or
• Any words of similar meaning

According to the language of the bill, it would require:

“… in the case of a raw agricultural commodity, on the package offered for retail sale … the clear and conspicuous words, ‘genetically engineered’ on the front of the package … [or] on a label appearing on the retail store shelf or bin in which such commodity is displayed for sale.

… in the case of any processed food, in clear and conspicuous language on the front or back of the package … the words, ‘partially produced with genetic engineering’ or ‘may be partially produced with genetic engineering’”. 

More U.S. States Starting to Demand Labeling of GM Foods

Finally we’re starting to see some real opposition against genetically engineered foods in general, and unlabeled GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) in particular, in the U.S.! Aside from this Vermont bill, California, Michigan and Washington are also working on ballot initiatives to get mandatory labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods in their states. Vermont takes it a step further though, as the legislation would effectively also end phony “all natural” claims for products that in actuality contain wholly unnatural, GMOs.

Personally, I believe GM foods must be banned entirely, but labeling is the most efficient way to achieve this. Since 85 percent of the public will refuse to buy foods they know to be genetically modified, this will effectively eliminate them from the market just the way it was done in Europe.

Sheer ignorance on the part of American consumers has allowed Monsanto and other biotech companies to saturate the market with their genetically altered wares. And misuse of the “all natural” label has only made matters worse. According to a 2010 Hartman Group poll, more than 60 percent of consumers erroneously believe that the “natural” label implies or suggests the absence of GM ingredients, but that is sadly NOT the case… In fact, at the current time, the ONLY label that can protect you against GM ingredients is the USDA 100% Organic label.

After reading the Cornucopia Institutes’ 2011 report Cereal Crimesⁱⁱⁱ, many, including myself, were shocked to discover some of their favorite natural and even some organic brands were using GM ingredients! For example, natural products that contained 100 percent genetically modified grains included:

Kashi®	Mother’s®	Nutritious Living®	General Mills Kix®
GoLean®	Bumpers®	Hi-Lo®

Two breakfast cereal products that are currently enrolled in the Non-GMO Project, Barbara’s Bakery’s Puffins and Whole Foods’ 365® Corn Flakes, contained more than 50 percent GM corn. Meanwhile, the control, Nature’s Path® USDA certified organic corn flakes, contained only trace amounts of GM contamination (less than 0.5 percent). Another sign that American consumers are getting fed up with being stonewalled on the GMO labeling issue is the fact that lawsuits are starting to crop up, accusing food manufacturers of deceptive and misleading practices over their “all natural” claims. Here are just a couple of recent examples:

• Frito-Lay is being sued by a New York consumer over their ‘all natural’ snacks that are actually made using GM ingredients, such as Tostitos and SunChips^iv
• On August 31, 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed against Kellogg/Kashi® for allegedly misleading consumers with its “natural” claims. One Kashi® product in particular, GoLean® Shakes, is composed almost entirely of synthetic and unnaturally processed ingredients, according to the plaintiff

Why We MUST Insist on Mandatory Labeling of GM Foods

As I said earlier, mandatory labeling may be the only way to stop the proliferation of GM foods in the U.S. because while GM seeds are banned in several European countries such as Hungary, Germany and Ireland, in the United States, certain states are passing legislation that protects the use of GM seeds and allows for unabated expansion! At present, no less than 14 states have passed such legislation. Michigan’s Senate Bill 777^v, if passed, would make that 15. The Michigan bill would prevent anti-GMO laws, and would remove “any authority local governments may have to adopt and enforce ordinances that prohibit or regulate the labeling, sale, storage, transportation, distribution, use, or planting of agricultural, vegetable, flower or forest tree seeds.”

While this type of legislation sounds like crazy nonsense to normal people, such bills are essentially bought and paid for through the millions of dollars Monsanto and other biotech companies spend lobbying the U.S. government each year. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, Monsanto spent $1.4 million on lobbying the federal government — a drop from a year earlier, when they spent $2.5 million during the same quarter.

Their efforts of persuasion are also made infinitely easier by the fact that an ever growing list of former Monsanto employees are now in positions of power within the federal government.

Learn More about Genetically Modified (GM) Foods

Due to lack of labeling, many Americans are still unfamiliar with what GM foods are. We have a plan to change that, and I urge you to participate and to continue learning more about GM foods and helping your friends and family do the same.

To start, please print out and use the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, created by the Institute for Responsible Technology. Share it with your friends and family, and post it to your social networks. You can also download a free iPhone application, available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

Your BEST strategy, however, is to simply buy USDA 100% Organic products whenever possible, (as these do not permit GM ingredients) or buy whole fresh produce and meat from local farmers. The majority of the GMO’s you’re exposed to are via processed foods, so by cooking from scratch with whole foods, you can be sure you’re not inadvertently consuming something laced with GM ingredients. When you do purchase processed food, avoid products containing anything related to corn or soy that are not 100 percent organic, as any foods containing these two non-organic ingredients are virtually guaranteed to contain genetically engineered ingredients, as well as toxic herbicide residues.

To learn more about GM foods, I highly recommend the following films and lectures:

• Hidden Dangers in Kid’s Meals
• Your Milk on Drugs – Just Say No!
• Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods

Your Opportunity to Eliminate Genetically Engineered Foods from the U.S.

In 2007, then-Presidential candidate Obama promised to “immediately” require GM labeling if elected. So far, nothing of the sort has transpired.

Labeling of genetically engineered food is way overdue… Here’s how you can get involved to rectify the situation:

• Whether you live in California or not, please donate money to this historic effort
• Talk to organic producers and stores and ask them to actively support the California Ballot. It may be the only chance we have to label genetically engineered foods.
• Distribute WIDELY the Non-GMO Shopping Guide to help you identify and avoid foods with GMOs. Look for products (including organic products) that feature the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal to be sure that at-risk ingredients have been tested for GMO content. You can also download the free iPhone application that is available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.
• For timely updates, please join the Organic Consumers Association on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
• Look for in-depth coverage of the issue at the Institute for Responsible Technology, subscribe to Spilling the Beans, and check out their Facebook or Twitter.

In the meantime, the simplest way to avoid genetically engineered foods is to buy whole, certified organic foods. By definition, foods that are certified organic must never intentionally use genetically engineered organisms, must be produced without artificial pesticides and fertilizers and come from an animal reared without the routine use of antibiotics, growth promoters or other drugs. Additionally, grass-fed beef will not have been fed genetically engineered corn feed, although now that genetically engineered alfalfa is approved, grass-fed will not always mean they animals have not consumed genetically engineered feeds.

Source: Mercola.com

GMOs with ‘stacked traits’ exponentially more harmful to humans due to synergistic toxicity

NaturalNews
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
By: Ethan A. Huff

[NaturalNews] Monsanto’s pipeline of upcoming genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) includes several new varieties specifically engineered with “stacked traits,” which means they contain multiple genetic modifications and built-in resistance traits as opposed to just one. And a new study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology has found that these new multi-trait GMOs appear to be exponentially more harmful to humans than single-trait GMOs because of their synergistic toxicity.

Conducting actual research on the effects of GMO toxins on human cells — this is something Monsanto will never do — researchers from the University of Caen in France have found that the Cry1Ab protein, a Bt toxin deliberately produced in many GM crops, including Monsanto’s MON810 Bt corn, destroys human cells at levels of 100 parts per million (ppm) dilution and higher when consumed by itself. This level of exposure is relatively low, considering human exposure to Bt toxin comes from multiple sources, including meat and dairy products from animals fed Bt corn feed, as well as direct human consumption of Bt corn ingredients and soon-to-be Bt sweet corn from the produce section (
http://www.naturalnews.com/035029_GM_corn_Walmart_Monsanto.html
).

Additionally, the researchers found that exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide formula, induces human cell death at exposures as low as 50 ppm, which is “far below agricultural dilutions,” according to the report. At a dilution of 57.5 ppm, which is only slightly higher, Roundup effectively kills 50 percent of human cells, which clearly illustrates its severe toxicity.

This important finding confirms the findings of numerous other reports conducted in recent days concerning Roundup’s toxicity in humans, including the fact that this widely-used chemical causes birth defects, cancer, and death (
http://www.naturalnews.com/033772_Monsanto_Roundup.html
).

But the real kicker in the new research is the combined toxicity from exposure to both Roundup and Bt toxin which, according to the study, is tremendous. In their conclusion, researchers noted that “modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present combined side-effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants” (
http://www.greenmedinfo.com
).

So much for Monsanto’s claim that Bt toxin, Roundup, and various other chemically-engineered traits are perfectly harmless. Monsanto actually claims on its website that human testing of GMOs is unnecessary because they are no different than conventional and natural crop varieties — and regulatory authorities have never taken the agri-giant to task on actually proving this baseless claim, which flies in the face of independent science (
http://www.naturalnews.com
).

Source: NaturalNews.com