Glyphosate Findings from Dr. Stephanie Seneff (aka GMO Foods are not Safer than Organic Foods, aka Museum GMO Follow-up, aka a Whole Heap of Health Problems)

One of my favorite researchers, Dr. Stephanie Seneff (see Dr. Stephanie Seneff, D3 and Cholesterol Sulfate, Vitamin D, Hormesis, Northern Europeans and Dr. Stephanie Seneff and Cholesterol Sulfate, Vitamin D and Hormesis - more to consider), has put out another awesome publication – this time relevant to my efforts to get the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences to recognize that GMO foods are a health threat. The Museum’s BESTFest panel discussion of April 2013 promoted that GMOs are actually safer to eat than organic foods (see NC BESTFest (formerly Biotechnology Day) Ethics Panel Results), which blew my mind. I was in the middle of packing and moving (and exhausted), so I didn’t have the time to do the research needed to push back against the panel discussion as strongly as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I have continued to dog the issue and Dr. Seneff’s most recent work has gotten one panelist’s attention, so much so that he says he is including her most recent study in his University teaching.

Here is Dr. Seneff’s publication: Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases. Here is the abstract for those who want to get to the point – that GMO foods – or at least the pesticides used on them – are causing a whole heap of health problems:

Abstract: Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup^®, is the most popular herbicide used worldwide. The industry asserts it is minimally toxic to humans, but here we argue otherwise. Residues are found in the main foods of the Western diet, comprised primarily of sugar, corn, soy and wheat. Glyphosate's inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals. CYP enzymes play crucial roles in biology, one of which is to detoxify xenobiotics. Thus, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins. Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body. Here, we show how interference with CYP enzymes acts synergistically with disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We explain the documented effects of glyphosate and its ability to induce disease, and we show that glyphosate is the “textbook example” of exogenous semiotic entropy: the disruption of homeostasis by environmental toxins.

If you are still eating sugar, corn, soy or wheat, look out. Your run of the mill metabolic syndrome-related diseases (diabetes, auto-immunity, obesity) are now amped up.

What was the Museum’s response regarding Dr. Seneff’s article? So far no response from Dr. Kroll, but I truly and sincerely understand that his workload is huge and he may not have time. Another colleague, however, is beginning to question whether or not GMOs are the answer to feeding the world because of Michael Pollan’s latest work (see the PBS interview In 'Cooked,' Michael Pollan Argues Importance of Making Your Own Food).

I plan to continue to forward compelling research such as Dr. Seneff’s to the Museum. The idea that GMOs are safe because scientific research does not suggest otherwise, and that this message is coming from the Museuem’s venue, is unacceptable to me. As I discussed with Museum panelist Dr. Kouri, anecdotal evidence is critical when scientific evidence is unavailable, and I believe the scientific evidence regarding the harm of GMOs will grow.

Comments

[Maury]

Love this! Heard this quote this weekend that is so true: Is it absence of evidence or evidence of absence? If there is no research done on something, that does not mean there is an absence of evidence, it means that there is evidence of absence (of research) I believe I heard it first from Michael Ellsberg.
I hope your move is going well, and how about your business?

[Laura Combs]

Hi Maury. Thank you for the quote! I am going to use it I am sure.

Move is coming along. We were sick as dogs through most of it, but we are coming around now. Very grateful for community and the help we received!

Hope to get the biz up and running in the next two weeks. Need to unpack first.

Thanks for asking!