http://www.gocomics.com/duplex/2016/02/28
Sunday 28 February 2016
Aged garlic extract reduces arterial plaque burden
January 22 2016
A randomized, double-blind trial reported online on January 13, 2016 in the Journal of Nutrition found a reduction in vulnerable plaque in the arteries of metabolic syndrome patients who supplemented with aged garlic extract.
Fifty-five men and women between the ages of 40 and 75 years were given 2400 milligrams aged garlic extract or a placebo orally for a year. Cardiac computed tomography angiography screening was conducted at the beginning and end of the treatment period to assess coronary plaque volume, including total plaque volume, dense calcium, noncalcified plaque, and low-attenuation plaque, which is vulnerable to rupture.
At the end of the study, participants who received aged garlic were found to have experienced slower accumulation of total plaque compared to the placebo group, in addition to regression of low-attenuation plaque. "This study is another demonstration of the benefits of this supplement in reducing the accumulation of soft plaque and preventing the formation of new plaque in the arteries, which can cause heart disease," commented lead researcher Matthew J. Budoff, MD, of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. "We have completed four randomized studies, and they have led us to conclude that aged garlic extract can help slow the progression of atherosclerosis and reverse the early stages of heart disease."
"This study indicates that the percent low-attenuation plaque change was significantly greater in the aged garlic extract group than in the placebo group," the authors conclude. "Further studies are needed to evaluate whether aged garlic extract has the ability to stabilize vulnerable plaque and decrease adverse cardiovascular events."
Kee’s World – February 28, 2016
http://www.star2.com/living/comics/2016/02/27/kees-world-february-28-2016/
Click on Healthwise for more articles
Saturday 27 February 2016
How metformin inhibits pancreatic cancer progression
How metformin inhibits pancreatic cancer progression
January 18 2016
A report published on December 7, 2015 in the journal PLOS One reveals the discovery of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital of a mechanism supporting metformin's ability to reduce pancreatic cancer progression. Earlier research has documented a lower risk of pancreatic cancer in diabetics treated with metformin, as well as a reduced risk of mortality among those who develop the disease.
Dai Fukumura, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General's Department of Radiation Oncology and colleagues examined the most common form of pancreatic cancer known as pancreatic ductal carcinoma, which is associated with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. Among inital findings was a 30% lower level of hyaluronan in the tumor extracellular matrix of pancreatic cancer tissue derived from overweight and obese patients treated with metformin in comparison with samples from those who had not been prescribed the drug. "We found that metformin alleviates desmoplasia - an accumulation of dense connective tissue and tumor-associated immune cells that is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer - by inhibiting the activation of the pancreatic stellate cells that produce the extracellular matrix and by reprogramming immune cells to reduce inflammation," Dr Fukumura explained. "We also found these effects only evident in tumors from overweight or obese individuals, who appear to have tumors with increased fibrosis."
"Nearly 200 clinical trials are currently underway investigating the effect of metformin on tumors in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients," noted co-senior author Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, who is the director of the Steele Laboratory of Tumor Biology at Massachusetts Generals' Radiation Oncology Department. "Understanding the mechanism behind metformin's effects on pancreatic and other cancers may help us identify biomarkers - such as patient body weight and increased tumor fibrosis - that can identify the patients for whom metformin treatment would be most beneficial."
Friday 26 February 2016
Increased B vitamin intake and lower pancreatic cancer risk
Increased B vitamin intake associated with lower pancreatic cancer risk
February 5 2016
Researchers from the University of Pittsburg have uncovered an association between an increase in the intake of vitamin B6 and choline and a lower risk ofcancer of the pancreas. The findings were reported online on December 28, 2015 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
For the current investigation, J. Y. Huang and colleagues utilized data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study that enrolled 63,257 men and women between 1993 and 1998. Dietary questionnaire responses provided information on the intake of one-carbon metabolism-related nutrients, which include vitamins B2, B6 and B12, along with folate, choline and betaine (TMG). As of the end of 2013, 271 pancreatic cancer cases were identified over an average of 16.3 years of follow-up.
Among subjects whose intake of vitamin B6 was among the top 20% of participants, there was a 48% lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer in comparison with those whose intake was among the lowest 20%. For those whose choline intake was highest, the risk of pancreatic cancer was 33% lower.
As possible cancer-protective mechanisms for vitamin B6, the authors cite its role as a cofactor for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and methylation pathways of one-carbon metabolism, as well as an ability to protect DNA from oxidative damage. In regard to choline, its role as a methyl donor may also help protect against pancreatic carcinogenesis. "To our knowledge, no epidemiological study has studied the relationship between dietary choline and pancreatic cancer risk," Dr Huang and associates announce.
They conclude that "Future studies are needed to study the underlying mechanisms of how vitamin B6 and choline, as well as other correlated one-carbon metabolism–related nutrients, may protect against the development of pancreatic cancer."
Click on Healthwise for more articles
Thursday 25 February 2016
5 things you should know about sake
Sake has always been an enigma to me. Though I’ve been exposed to the Japanese fermented spirit countless times, and have even spoken to several sake brewers, it still amazes me how much more there is to learn about it, from the way to drink it (hot or cold?), to how to choose a good sake.
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The Kanpai With Sake Masters event featured a range of artisanal sake from four breweries in Japan. Photos: Kampachi
During the Kanpai! With Sake Masters event at Kampachi @ Plaza 33, Petaling Jaya, last November, I took the oppurtunity to ask the visiting sake brewers on a few things that everyone should know about sake. The event is an annual affair organised by Kampachi Japanese restaurant, where they fly down sake brewers from Japan to introduce their sake to Malaysian consumers.
This time around, the four master brewers who were present were 4th generation owner of Benten Musume sake Shotaro Ota; 6th generation owner of Izumibashi sake, Yuichi Hashiba; 4th generation owner of Fusozaru sake, Tomohiko Ohata and Kazuyoshi Sato, 11th generation owner of Abe Kameji sake.
1) The rice matters
Sake is made from rice, but not just any rice will do. According to Hashiba, there are two different types of rice in Japan – one is for consumption, and the other is solely for making sake.
“There are so many different varieties of sake rice – you can have fun discovering the different flavours they produce,” he said, adding that sake made from only rice are labeled as junmai, or “pure rice” (those without the junmai label tend to have added distilled alcohol in them).
Sixth generation owner of Izumibashi sake, Yuichi Hashiba.
Founded in 1859, Izumibashi Sake will be celebrating their 160th anniversary this year, and is one of the few in Japan that does both the cultivating of the rice and the brewing of the sake in house, and it has to be cultivated by hand.
Izumibashi Brewery plants a well-known strain of sake rice known as Yamada Nishiki, while Abe Kameji sake is devoted to producing “Kame No O”, which is one of the original key strains of rice in Japan, and is notoriously difficult to mass produce.
2) Polishing the rice
Once you’ve got the right rice, you also have to mill the grains to remove the bran. Sake can be categorised into different grades depending on how much of the rice is polished off – the more you polish the rice, the higher the sake’s grade will be. The rice polishing ratio for the highest grade, daiginjo, is usually below 50%, which means at least 50% of the original rice is milled away, and only the other 50% is used for the fermentation.
3) Water is important
A good, pure source of water is extremely important to sake making, as it is used in almost every step of the brewing process, from the washing of the rice to the dilution of the final product.
Depending on the type of water that is used, whether it is high in minerals or not, it can either produce a dry sake, or a softer sake.
Of the brewers at the Kampai! event, Abe Kameji use underground water that is rich in minerals, while Fusocaru utilises the clean, clear freshwater of the Takatsu river located near the brewery.
Kazuyoshi Sato, 11th generation owner of Abe Kameji sake.
4) Koji, the sugar maker
Koji is a kind of enzyme used as a fermenting agent in making sake, miso, shochu, and vineger. It’s a staple in the preparation of Japanese cuisine. When you add koji to rice, it converts the rice into sugar, and then the yeast can do its job in converting the sugars into alcohol.
After the fermentation is complete, the sake is then “rested” for six to nine months to allow it to mellow and mature.
5) Hot or cold? No one knows!
According to Sato, whether you drink a sake hot or cold is very subjective. “Different breweries will give you different answers! And it also depends on the season. If it is a relatively new and freshly brewed sake, or shinshu, it is recommended to drink it chilled, because there are very few shinshu that can fare well with heat,” he said. “But sake that has had time to settle or mature are more versatile – you can either drink it cold or hot.”
Like beer, most of the sake in Japan is produced by large commercial brewers that make a very flowery, flamboyant kind of sake, which is best drunk chilled, according to Sato.
The other 10% are made by artisanal brewers who want to honour the traditions and history of sake making in the country, and make sakes that can be drunk either way, and goes well with food.
http://www.star2.com/food/food-news/2016/02/20/5-things-you-should-know-about-sake/Click on Healthwise for more articles
Wednesday 24 February 2016
This is Hunter, the therapy dog
Hunter makes daily rounds at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Sort of like a doctor – until he jumps into a kid’s bed and gets his tummy rubbed. Doctors can’t do that.
Another difference: when Hunter, a two-year-old golden retriever, walks into a patient’s hospital room, that child, sometimes a very sick child, usually breaks into a smile.
Hunter, a therapy dog, sits with Tyler Regier, 2. Photos: TNS
FEBRUARY 13, 2016
Aimee Hoflander sees it often. She is a patient activity coordinator at the hospital and Hunter’s handler. She takes him around to visit the kids on Four Henson, the oncology and haematology floor at Children’s Mercy. These are the really sick kids. Bad news, surgeries, isolation, chemotherapy, long stays.
Then Hunter comes through the door, bright eyes, tail wagging. Plop – right up on the bed.
“I’ve heard parents say it’s the first time they’ve seen their child smile in weeks,” Hoflander said.
3 Hunter, a therapy dog, and his handler, Amanda Woelk, sit with Tyler Regier, 2, and his mother, Tina Regier at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Hunter arrived at Children’s Mercy on Hospital Hill last summer as part of a new facility dog programme. His colleague, Hope, arrived a couple of months later at the Children’s Mercy Kansas location in Overland Park. They both live with their handlers and travel back and forth to work. Daily commuters, with business cards.
The therapeutic value of dogs on sick children has been known for years, and other hospitals, including University of Kansas Hospital, use them. Dogs cheer up kids, and emotional health plays a factor in physical health. It reduces stress, calms and improves spirits.
So Children’s Mercy began bringing in dogs long ago through volunteer organisations like Pet Pals, said Missy Stover, the system’s child life volunteer and therapeutic programmes supervisor who manages the new dog programme.
But those visits mostly came one day a week or so.
Amanda Woelk walks Hunter.
Stover and others wanted more. They wanted the hospital to have its own full-time dogs and finally got them last year with Hunter and Hope, who were trained, beginning when they were pups, at Canine Assistants, an Atlanta-based organisation that provides service dogs to individuals and facility dogs to paediatric hospitals across the country.
Maxine Hetherington, an oncologist and haematologist at Children’s Mercy, sees the value every day.
“When a child comes to the hospital, they miss their toys, they miss their sibs – a little, but they really miss their dogs and cats,” Hetherington said. “Having Hunter here has made Children’s Mercy a little more like home.
“He brings a calming influence to a frightened child, and that’s really important.”
At Children’s Mercy Kansas, Kenzie Nelson, 7, of Hiawatha in Kansas, put it this way about Hope: “She makes me happy.”
Hope can read a room, said handler Allison Bowring. When a child or even a parent seems sad, the dog will go over and put her head on their lap.
“She can tell what’s going on,” Bowring said. “When she’s at work – she’s on, and it’s amazing to watch.”
Bowring paused.
“She knows why she’s here.”
Hoflander tells a story about a teenage boy being asked by a schoolteacher about some celebrities who had visited the hospital.
Yeah, yeah, they were cool, the boy said. But mainly he wanted to talk about somebody else he got to see: Hunter.
“You know, the dog?” he said. “Aimee had to give him a treat to leave because he wanted to sleep in here with me.”
A morning last week at the main hospital, Hunter walked the hallway through Henson Four. Heads turned, people smiled. Everybody knows Hunter.
He’s happy, smart. He knows where to stand when the automatic doors swing open.
Want to pet him? Wait! Got to get hands sprayed first. The kids all know that. When the dog enters their room, the kids hold up their hands for Hoflander’s spray bottle.
First visit was Tyler Regier of Overland Park. He’s three. He recently spent time in isolation, and when he got out he said: “Now I can see Hunter!”
Tyler’s mom, Tina, said the dog always cheers up Tyler no matter what’s going on.
On this visit, Tyler thought a Captain America book would be the way to go. Hoflander started reading and when she got to the part about defeating Hydra, Hunter laid his head on the floor and closed his eyes.
He must have already heard this story.
Diana Hisle, 12, of Leawood, and pet therapy dog Hope.
Next up was Jacob Schuetz, 15, from Olathe. Hunter jumped on his bed. Jacob smiled and leaned forward to scratch his ears. The dog sprawled on his back across the bed. Tummy time.
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Jacob said in a near whisper.
His mother, Melody Schuetz, watched from across the room. Jacob misses his dog at home, she said. Stress isn’t good for her son, and Hunter seems to relax him.
“Just to see him smile means so much,” she said.
After a few minutes, Hoflander had to shake the treat package to get Hunter to climb down from Jacob’s bed.
“Thank you for bringing him in,” Melody told Hoflander.
“Goodbye, Hunter,” Jacob said.
Hunter looked up at him and wagged his tail.
Then he left. Rounds to make.
Sick kids are waiting. – The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service
Tuesday 23 February 2016
'We are at the start of a journey to see horses as healers'
The actress Jenny Seagrove tells Victoria Lambert about her latest role at a horse sanctuary where rescue is just part of the story
Jenny Seagrove with her favourite Shetland pony Photo: Andrew Crowley
12:23PM BST 25 Jul 2015
Daisy was found wandering the streets of Chessington, in Surrey. Gwen and Phyllis were both abandoned while pregnant on nearby Send Common. Ocean is frightened of women. Ernie had bitten a man’s face and was full of anger. ''I shouldn’t have a favourite,’’ says actress Jenny Seagrove, pointing out some of the 24 horses grazing in the shelter of the surrounding Surrey Hills. ''But, ahh, Grimbo,’’ she says, gently stroking a skewbald miniature Shetland with an adorable quiff, ''you are my main man.’’
Grimbo, rescued from a dealer’s yard, is far too cool to acknowledge such fawning – even if it is by Seagrove, 57, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, who made her name in Local Hero, but is perhaps more familiar from her long-standing role in the television series Judge John Deed. Grimbo stands peaceably, as do the other horses, treating Seagrove as an equal part of the herd at the Mane Chance Sanctuary, outside Guildford.
Seagrove set up this centre on borrowed farmland four years ago – with help from philanthropist Simrin Choudhrie – to rescue abandoned horses, but quickly realised that the animals could develop a reciprocal role as what she calls a ''healing herd’’.
The actress Jenny Seagrove (Geoff Pugh)
''The sanctuary came about in desperate circumstances in 2011 when a friend rang to say she couldn’t afford to feed her large collection of animals, many of which she had rescued,’’ says Seagrove.
''It was one of those life-changing moments when you find a real purpose. Setting up a charity – a massive adventure.
''I called a friend who found Monkshatch Garden Farm, where the owner let us rent the 47 acres we needed. A year later, we were offered it for sale.’’ She agrees it was a big decision. ''I had to sell my flat in London and ask Simrin, who has been amazing, to chip in.’’ Her partner, theatre impresario Bill Kenwright, has been hugely supportive.
The Mane Chance herd is luckier than it knows. Recent figures show that about 7,000 horses are abandoned each year – due to cost, negligence or ignorance – and the RSPCA has said it is struggling to cope, as are all Britain’s horse rescue centres. One of the last pieces of legislation passed by the coalition government – the Control of Horses Act 2015 – was designed to give local councils more power to take responsibility for the welfare of horses left on public land, in an attempt to ease the problem.
A scene from the 1983 film Local Hero, in which Jenny Seagrove made her name (20TH CENTURY FOX)
The World Horse Welfare charity has warned that Britain is facing a crisis, with thousands of horses at risk of abandonment and neglect, or needing new homes, because of factors including the recession, reduced grazing and overbreeding.
The Princess Royal has even suggested that the country’s attitude to horsemeat might have to change if we are to end the neglect.
Seagrove, who learnt to ride on an ''old racing pony’’ in Malaysia, where she grew up, says she can understand the Princess’s views but does not support them.
This is partly because of her belief in animal rights (and vegetarianism), but mostly because she believes a programme being developed at Mane Chance could offer an alternative purpose for man’s noblest friend.
''When all this began, I knew the horses would need therapy,” she says. “I asked James French, who I had known through his work as a reiki master for 20 years, and who is a renowned animal communicator, to help out.’’
French, who has developed a programme called the trust technique, agreed to take over management of the sanctuary with his partner, Shelley Slingo, and began treating the horses with his gentle therapy, which has similarities to mindfulness.
Grimbo, Seagrove's favourite Shetland pony (Andrew Crowley)
The technique involves quiet sessions in which a practitioner sits in a field (or just outside if necessary), emptying their mind and quietly contemplating the horse until it gradually calms and lies down nearby, often going to sleep. ''It’s about getting the limbic system – the part of the brain associated with emotions and memories – of horse and human in sync,’’ says Seagrove.
With some of the horses, French had to be especially patient. Gwen, one of the mares abandoned when in foal, had been badly beaten and was so nervous it took him nine months to get a tether off her neck. (The tether is now framed in the sanctuary’s office-cum-kitchen.)
Meanwhile, Seagrove noticed that the animals weren’t the only ones responding to French and his patient kindness.
''We had groups of children and volunteers here, some of whom had their own issues, and a rapport and trust was building up between some of the horses with the humans who seemed to need them most.’’
She cites the example of a young girl who had been the subject of violence at home being approached – quite unusually – by Gwen, the mare that had been beaten by her owners.
The sanctuary now has regular visits from children with special needs and with disabilities, plus some from the nearby Shooting Star Chase hospice. A special programme, Chance 4 Trust, supports young people aged eight and over who have social, emotional or mental health needs for a minimum of three months.
The sanctuary has open days, and French teaches the trust technique to would-be practitioners, so the horses are beginning to earn their keep now. Seagrove is delighted at the idea; she would like to see ''healing herds’’ set up across the UK – ''mini Mane Chances that can offer this sort of deep therapy’’.
''I’ve seen some extraordinary moments with the horses,’’ she says. ''A teenage girl was asked to lead Brandy, one of the Shetlands, which had been a bit ostracised by the herd, past the other horses. As they went past, the horse froze. James said to her: 'OK, just get present with him,’ meaning for her to be mindful and calm, and Brandy responded to her, and walked at her instruction past the other Shetlands.
''Afterwards, Brandy – and he doesn’t like people – came and stood quietly, with his head next to her, as though saying thank you.’’
There have been tough moments, too. ''We’ve had to put down six horses – one after an accident in the field and five due to old age. But we do that very carefully. The horse has reiki for a few days first and then a sedative before a lethal injection. The other horses are allowed to smell them before they wander off and we are left to do the grieving.’’
And there have been dark nights when Seagrove, who is preparing to make a new film, Another Mother’s Son, in the autumn, wondered how she could carry on working and fundraising. ''My job is to make sure the money is in the bank – it costs £200,000 a year to run – and to make sure the policies and governance are in place,” she says.
''I can’t walk away and, anyway, this country is hugely charitable.’’ Last week, a ball raised £40,000.
The RSPCA has said it's struggling to cope with the number of abandoned horses (Frank Naylor/Alamy)
Seagrove is aware that celebrity goodwill, and anecdotes of children and horses both benefiting, are not enough, and some will not begin to understand what the sanctuary is trying to do. So she is also gathering information with a view to publishing scientifically verified research.
Equine therapy is far from unknown, however – so how does hers differ? ''We don’t just use the horses – they benefit, too,” she says, smiling. “It is mutual.
''We’re at the start of a very big journey to see a new purpose for horses in society as healers, but you have to start somewhere, says Seagrove’’
Grimbo would certainly agree.
Monday 22 February 2016
MUST READ: Commercialized GMO Maize Toxic to Farm Animals
Genetically engineered (GE) food comes from crops in which genes from one species have been integrated into another species — even between species in which this is biologically impossible in nature. The end result is a gene sequence that would never have occurred naturally.
February 09, 2016
Story at-a-glance
- Bt176, the first GMO corn to be commercialized for animal feed back in 1995, has been found to be toxic to cows over the long-term. When GMO content in the feed reached 40 percent, mortality peaked at 10 percent
- GMO-fed cows suffered liver disease, kidney dysfunction, mucosa problems, irregular heart function, mammary gland breaks, fatigue, impaired fertility, and other health problems
- Bt toxin has been detected in women and babies, and in vitro experiments show Bt toxin produced by these plants affects human cells, both alone and in combination with glyphosate-based herbicide residues
By Dr. Mercola
Genetically engineered (GE) food comes from crops in which genes from one species have been integrated into another species — even between species in which this is biologically impossible in nature. The end result is a gene sequence that would never have occurred naturally.There are two main types of GE crops:
- Herbicide-tolerant crops: Plants engineered to withstand heavy herbicide spraying without sustaining damage, such as Roundup Ready crops
- Pesticide-producing crops: So-called Bt plants are engineered to produce their own internal pesticide, so that when a bug takes a bite of the plant, it dies
Trying to control genetic changes via artificial modification is a dangerous game. An organism's genome is not static but fluid, and its biological functions are interconnected with its environment and vice versa.Contrary to what the industry would like you to believe, the process of genetic engineering is imprecise at best, and is riddled with unintended and often unforeseeable consequences.Of course that is about to change with the new technology, CRISPR-Cas9 that I reviewed last month. Once this technology is implemented, we will need to pay very careful attention to what the researchers are planning.
Genetic Engineering Is Riddled With Unintended Consequences
Viruses are typically used to genetically engineer the genes into a new species. These are known as viral transgenes, and there’s a profound lack of understanding of how this process actually works and what the ultimate ramifications are.Compared to natural genetic modification (vertical gene transfer), artificial genetic modification is inherently hazardous because it lacks the precision of the natural process, enabling genes to be transferred between species that would never have been otherwise exchanged.Artificial genetic modification uses horizontal gene transfer, which involves injecting a gene from one species into a completely different and naturally incompatible species, yielding unexpected and often unpredictable results — some of which may pose a hazard to animal and human health.
Approval Does Not Mean GE Crops Have a Proven Safety Record
In 1995, Novartis (which later became Syngenta) received approval to cultivate the GE maize known as Bt1761 in the U.S. It was the first Bt corn commercialized for animal feed. Due to controversies, it never gained much market success and the registration was allowed to lapse in 2001.2In Europe, it was officially withdrawn from the market in 2007. Last month, Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini published a feeding study on this particular Bt corn, showing it was in fact toxic to cows over the long-term.Prior to its introduction, Novartis had conducted just one feeding test on four cows for the duration of two weeks.3 One of the animals died one week into the test with electrolyte and mucosal problems. No scientific explanation could be found for the death, and the cow was removed from the protocol.It’s really important to realize that animal feeding trials are not required to be done prior to the commercial release of a GMO, and if they are done, they’re typically extremely small, and very short in duration, like this one was.
Long-Term Studies Keep Finding Serious Health Problems With GMOs and Associated Chemicals
As an expert for the French government within the Biomolecular Engineering Commission, Séralini had access to the industry dossier on Bt176, and expressed strong objections to and concern over the lack of long-term feeding tests — the kind that have since become Séralini’s own hallmark specialty.As you may recall, Séralini produced the first-ever lifetime feeding study on rats in 2012. The 2-year-long study evaluated lifelong effects of a Monsanto-produced GE corn that is prevalent in the U.S. food supply.The rats developed massive breast tumors, kidney and liver damage, and early death. The major onslaught of diseases set in during the 13th month, which in human terms equate to about the age of 43, assuming that the average person lives to the age of 80.Séralini has also investigated the health effects of glyphosate and Roundup.
First GE Corn Shown to Be Toxic to Cows in the Long Term
In 1997, Gottfried Glöckner, an award-winning dairy farmer in Germany, became the first farmer to grow and feed Bt176 corn to his prized Holstein cows. The test continued until 2002.According to Séralini, this was the longest running and most detailed observation of farm animals ever performed for a GE crop.Since 1986, when Glöckner took over the farm, he’d had no cases of serious disease on his farm. That all changed once he started feeding his cows Bt176 in 1997. As noted on Séralini’s website:6“When partial paralysis (paresis) accompanied by great fatigue, and problems in the kidneys and mucosal membranes arose in the animals, followed by death in 10 percent of cases, microbial causes were sought. All kinds of analyses were conducted ...At this time, the dose of GMO Bt maize, which had been progressively introduced, had reached 40 percent of the diet. By 2002, the farmer had become convinced that Bt maize was the cause of the diseases. He sued Syngenta and had partial compensation for his losses7 ...After all these court cases ended, Prof. Séralini gained access to veterinary records and to very complete archived data for each cow ... For the first time ever, an analysis of these data has been published8 ... New scientific data on Bt toxins and a thorough study of the records show that this GMO Bt maize is most probably toxic over the long term.This study reveals once again the urgent need for specific labeling of the identity and quantity of GMOs, especially in food and feed. Long-term testing of GM food and the pesticides they are designed to contain must be carried out and made public. This is now more essential than ever.”
The Higher the GMO Content, the Greater the Health Risks
As Glöckner increased the amount of Bt176 corn in the cows’ feed, gradually going from 2 to 40 percent over the course of two years, the worse his cows fared. At the outset, 70 percent of his cows produced high yields of milk, which is considered normal.Once the GMO content of the feed reached 40 percent, a mere 40 percent of his cows were high-yielding. In 2000, milk tested positive for the Bt176 DNA specific fragment, which under European law meant the milk had to be labeled as coming from GE-fed animals.Peak mortality was reached in 2002, when 10 percent of his cows died after suffering a long period of partial paralysis. Thirty percent of the herd was sick with a variety of ailments.A number of cows were diagnosed with liver disease, mucosa problems, irregular heart function, mammary gland breaks (which is exactly as disturbing as it sounds: the study includes pictures), and general “abnormal behavior” suggesting chronic lack of energy.As the GMO ratio peaked, fertility also began to drop significantly. Some of the animals tested positive for Chlamydia, but had no visible infection. Overall, kidney function appeared to be the most affected.Because the farmer introduced new cows to his herd here and there to replace those who had died or were too sick to be milked, the toxic effects may actually be underestimated, as the replacement animals had not previously eaten the GMO feed, and were therefore exposed to it for a much shorter duration.Indeed, Séralini points out that toxic effects such as these would likely be missed under common conditions on factory farms with high and rapid animal turnover for that very reason. Especially when the feed is not specifically labeled, identifying the type of GMO and precise amount.
Pesticide-Producing Plants May Also Harm Human Health
Like other Bt crops, Bt176 was genetically engineered to produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt toxin) — a pesticide that breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them. Bt plants are engineered to produce this pesticide internally, so it’s present in every cell of the plant, from root to tip, and cannot be washed off.Previous in vitro experiments9,10 have shown that the Bt toxin these plants produce affects human cells, both alone and in combination with glyphosate-based herbicide residues.Pesticidal crystal proteins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac, two subspecies of the Bt toxin, were tested on cells from the embryonic kidney cell line 293, looking at specific biomarkers indicating cell death. Concentrations ranged from 10 parts per billion (ppb) up to 100 parts per million (ppm).Cry1Ab caused cell death starting at 100 ppm. Roundup alone was found to cause necrosis (cell death resulting from acute injury) and apoptosis (cellular “suicide” or self-destruction) starting at 50 ppm, which the researchers noted is “far below agricultural dilutions.”According to the authors: “In these results, we argue 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.”Monsanto and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed the Bt toxin produced inside the plant would be completely safe for human consumption because it would be destroyed in the human digestive system. This has been proven false more than once.Research11 published in 2007 found that antibiotic resistance marker genes from Bt176 maize were able to survive for longer periods in gastric juices taken from patients on anti-acid drug treatment, thereby potentially increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance. According to the authors:“Our data indicate the possibility that in particular cases the survival time could be so delayed that, as a consequence, some traits of DNA could reach the intestine. In general, this aspect must be considered for vulnerable consumers (people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases related to altered digestive functionality, physiological problems or drug side-effects) in the risk analysis usually referred to healthy subjects.”Then, in 2011, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood of 93 percent of pregnant women tested, 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies, and 67 percent of non-pregnant women.12 It’s quite clear that Bt toxin is not destroyed when passing through your digestive system, and that it can bioaccumulate in your body.According to one study,13 Bt toxin may produce a wide variety of immune responses, including elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, typically associated with allergies and infections, and an increase in cytokines, associated with allergic and inflammatory responses — conditions that have markedly risen in prevalence since the advent of Bt crops.
Transgenic Bt Crops Promote Resistant Pests and Destroys Soil Biology
One of the selling points and touted benefits of GE crops like Bt cotton and Bt corn is reduced pesticide usage, as the plant itself will kill any bug that chews on it. As with so many other GMO claims, this one cannot stand up to scrutiny. For starters, just like exaggerated herbicide use has led to the rapid development of resistant superweeds, so have Bt plants led to the emergence of resistant pests.According to The Times of India,14 farmers in Punjab and Haryana are seeing significant losses of their Bt cotton crops to the whitefly. To address the problem, increasing amounts of pesticides have been applied. During an outbreak in 2002 farmers applied so much pesticide to fend off the whiteflies that soil and groundwater are thought to have been affected.Many now blame the exaggerated use of pesticides on the clustering of cancer cases being detected among those living in India’s cotton belt. Research15 has also shown that Bt crops, just like topical pesticides and herbicides, alter and destroys soil microbiology. According to the authors:“Our data showed that the cultivation of Bt maize significantly increased the saturated to unsaturated lipid ratios in soils which appeared to negatively affect microbial activity.”
Beware: Bt Toxin Produced by Bt Plants Is Not Counted Toward Total Pesticide Exposure
Last but not least, it’s well worth noting that the Bt toxin produced in these Bt crops are NOT included as part of the total human pesticide exposure. This despite the fact that Bt plants are actually registered with the EPA as a pesticide.16 This also helps explain why Bt plants damage the soil just like topical pesticides do.Ignoring Bt toxin produced by Bt plants, as if it never were to reach a dinner plate, is a gross misrepresentation of facts and outright fraudulent propaganda. How can they claim reductions in pesticide exposure as a result of Bt plants when every single cell of the plant contains it?And how can they not include the plants in the pesticide usage data when the plant itself is registered as a pesticide? The failure to count the toxin inside the plant, and only counting the pesticides applied topically, is a significant loophole that makes Bt plants appear to provide a benefit that in reality simply isn’t true.In reality, Bt exposure has likely increased exponentially with the introduction of Bt plants. Why? Because the plant-produced version of the poison is thousands of times more concentrated than the topical spray, and while topically applied Bt toxin biodegrades in sunlight and can be washed off, the Bt toxin in these GE plants does not degrade, nor can it be removed or cleaned off the food since it’s integrated into every cell of the plant.Besides that, Bt toxin in GE soy, cotton, and corn has also been exempted from residue tolerance levels by the EPA, so absolutely no one is looking for or paying any attention to the amount of Bt toxin you’re exposed to via the food you eat!
How to Avoid Bt Crops
So, if you want to avoid eating Bt plants, which foods end up on the “buy certified organic” list? The following list shows which Bt crops have received approval for commercialization in which countries as of 2013.17,18 (A Bt poplar tree has also been approved for planting in China.)Cotton is of course not a food, but is used for cotton clothing. The genetic engineering of cotton is one reason why I recommend buying clothing made with organic cotton.
Bt crop Country Cotton Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, European Union (EU), India, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and United States of America (USA) Eggplant Bangladesh Maize/Corn Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, EU, Honduras, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, and Uruguay Potato (“Atlantic NewLeaf potato”19,20) Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russian Federation, South Korea, and USA Rice China and Iran Soybean Argentina, Australia, Brazil,21 Canada, China, Colombia, EU, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Uruguay Tomato22,23,24 Canada, Chile, and USA
What You Need to Know About GMOs
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or genetically “engineered” (GE) foods, are live organisms whose genetic components have been artificially manipulated in a laboratory setting through creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and even viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.
GMO proponents claim that genetic engineering is “safe and beneficial,” and that it advances the agricultural industry. They also say that GMOs help ensure the global food supply and sustainability. But is there any truth to these claims? I believe not. For years, I've stated the belief that GMOs pose one of the greatest threats to life on the planet. Genetic engineering is NOT the safe and beneficial technology that it is touted to be.
The FDA cleared the way for GE (Genetically Engineered) Atlantic salmon to be farmed for human consumption. Thanks to added language in the federal spending bill, the product will require special labeling so at least consumers will have the ability to identify the GE salmon in stores. However, it’s imperative ALL GE foods be labeled, which is currently still being denied.
The FDA is threatening the existence of our food supply. We have to start taking action now. I urge you to share this article with friends and family. If we act together, we can make a difference and put an end to the absurdity.
QR Codes Are NOT an Adequate Substitute for Package Labels
The biotech industry is trying to push the QR code as an answer for consumer concerns about GE foods. QR stands for Quick Response, and the code can be scanned and read by smart phones and other QR readers.
The code brings you to a product website that provides further details about the product. The video below shows you why this is not an ideal solution. There’s nothing forcing companies to declare GMOs on their website. On the contrary, GE foods are allowed to be promoted as “natural,” which further adds to the confusion.
These so-called "Smart Labels" hardly improve access to information. Instead, by making finding the truth time-consuming and cumbersome, food makers can be assured that most Americans will remain ignorant about the presence of GMOs in their products. Besides, everyone has a right to know what's in the food. You shouldn't have to own a smartphone to obtain this information.
Non-GMO Food Resources by Country
If you are searching for non-GMO foods here is a list of trusted sites you can visit.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/02/09/gmo-maize-toxic-to-animals.aspx
Click on Healthwise for more articles
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