Really bored at work today.
I found this article on Reddit and am posting it here instead of Facebook because for some reason, this stuff is controversial. The article is a critique of a story in the August 2013 Elle, in which the author of the story says that a doctor finally was able to diagnose her allergy problems as being caused by eating genetically modified corn. I have been a little confused about the whole GMO debate because the ability to genetically modify food seems like it’s a good thing to me. Don’t get me wrong – I would avoid eating them if just to boycott Monsanto, but I don’t know if that’s actually possible.
This article explains and debunks the allergy side of the debate anyway. One of the scientists interviewed (Richard Goodman) explains that YES, new proteins (potential allergens) CAN be created by GMOs, but these proteins are “evaluated specifically for potential risks of allergy” (it’s on page 2 somewhere – I’m not citing this shit).
I get annoyed about this issue because I feel like people are buying into the hype without doing the research. So if you’re interested, you should check out this article. And if you have opinions, I’m interested in hearing them.
No Promises This Time 
I’m with you. One of the things I hate the most is for one to jump on the bandwagon of some idea or cause that he hasn’t really investigated, but just trusted the…well, the “hype”, as you put it, and become an ignorant advocate. I, myself, have done this more times than I want to remember; that’s one of the reasons it bothers me so much.
Good article. I have been a little irritated, feeling like I to decide if I’m have to go to non-GMO corn meal. Now I feel free not to worry about it! Thanks!
LikeLike
Interesting—makes me want to read up on allergies. I don’t know anything at all about the allergen side of this debate. What I’ve heard about is how (purportedly) GMO crops can create superpests and superweeds, and can create a lot of imbalance and resource depletion in ecosystems.
But about allergies—the article makes me wonder if certain people’s bodies can develop allergies to a protein when the vast majority of people would never develop that allergy. Like, it’s so weird to me that people can be allergic to eggs. Why???
LikeLike