3 ms·

"Although GM crops are completely safe to eat" While I think that's far from settled, it's certainly true that Bt corn encouraged the liberal use of Roundup, w

• elcritch 4y ago
  It’s not the “GMO” part that’s problematic — it’s what is done with GMO. Humans have been “genetically modifying” crops for millennia. The case for the rise of modern “gluten sensitivity” actually being “roundup sensitivity” seems pretty strong. Likely wheat just absorbs it more.
  • hgsgm 4y ago
    Human selection isn't quite the same as human modification.
  • bequanna 4y ago
    Wouldn’t that pretty easy to test by giving those who claim gluten sensitivity some organic wheat?
    • modo_mario 4y ago
      I think that would have to be a longterm study where the test subjects don't just avoid wheat with it sprayed nearby but also other products affected by it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the claim is that the residual glyphosate or the like can affect certain gut bacteria (and overgrowth of certain others) which leads to the symptoms as those bacteria might be helpfull in breaking down gluten. So a person affected this who suddenly eats organic wheat would still exhibit the same symptoms. I don't think there's been proper proof or studies for this but the idea doesn't seem to be too far fetched since it comes from studies on fish and the like where similar things were seen.
  • dekhn 4y ago
    Comparing classical plant breeding with GMO (or with the techniques used in the green revolution) isn't really that useful. There are too many technical differences between a process that uses selection which operates over hundreds to thousands of years, and a process which instantly changes the phenotype of a plant. And those differences matter a lot! The only truly risky GMO I've seen was a case where the allergen from brazil nuts was accidentally introduced to experimental soybeans, which seemed to cause the soybeans to trigger brazil nut allergies in people. That was discontinued pretty quickly.