What Are the Health Risks Linked to GMOs? Here’s What You Need to Know

GMOs are living organisms that are artificially altered with genetic material from another organism. These genes don’t occur naturally. They’re created through genetic engineering.[1]

Creating organisms with more favorable characteristics isn’t new science. It's been done for thousands of years through crossbreeding. What’s new is how fast this once decades-long process is happening, and how it’s done. [2]

For one thing, genetic engineering is a lot more specific and targeted than traditional crossbreeding. Only a very small number of genes that have a desired function are introduced to a crop. And those genes often come from a different species. [3]

Genetic engineering today creates crops that are: [4]

• Pathogen-resistant
• Insect-resistant
• Shelf stable longer
• More nutrient dense
• Resistant to abiotic stress—negative impacts from things like cold, heat, and drought

So how exactly did GMOs become so prevalent in our food system?

Let’s go back in time and take a brief look at the history of GMOs. It’ll help you see how quickly GMO foods became so embedded in our food system.

First, there was a major breakthrough in genetic engineering technology in 1973. The first antibiotic-resistant plant was created using genetic engineering. [5],[6] But, like with any new technology, there were a lot of questions about its safety. So experts got together at the Asilomar Conference of 1975 to talk about how safe this new genetic engineering technology really was and its consequences. [7]

Because this conference was so transparent, the move toward even more genetic engineering research was widely supported. And this acceptance is what launched what we now know as genetic modification.

Fast forward a couple of decades to 1994. The first genetically modified crop was approved for production by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—the Flavr Savr tomato. It was engineered to stay fresher longer. [8]

Next up was the first insecticide-resistant potatoes in 1995. Quickly followed by the first herbicide-resistant crop a year later—Bt corn.

And that brings us to modern day with 29 GMO crops approved for production. [9],[10]

Here’s a list of the most common GMO crops:

1. Canola
2. Corn
3. Soy
4. Sugar beets
5. Potato
6. Yellow summer squash
7. Zucchini
8. Papaya
9. Alfalfa
10. Cotton—cottonseed

So what’s the problem with GMOs? And why are these “Frankenfoods,” as some have dubbed them, under so much scrutiny? Supporters of GMOs claim that GMO foods are “perfectly safe.” But mounting evidence of very real health risks linked to GMOs tells a different story.

The list of health risks of GMOs continues to grow. It’s still debated whether GMO foods cause these health issues or if they’re from ingesting poisonous pesticides like glyphosate sprayed on GMOs. I believe it’s both. Either way, your health is at risk when you eat genetically modified foods.

Not only are GMOs and pesticide residue linked to many health issues on the rise today, but they’re destroying our gut microbiomes.

More and more, we’re learning about the connection between our gut microbiome and the rest of our body. When your gut health is compromised, it can have cascading effects on your overall health from poor digestion to leaky gut to autoimmunity.

Here’s a list of 10 health risks studies show may be linked to GMOs:

1. Gut imbalance [11], [12]
2. Celiac disease [13]
3. Cancer [14],[15]
4. Alzheimer’s disease [16]
5. Fertility issues [17],[18]
6. Birth defects [19]
7. Liver and kidney toxicity [20], [21], [22]
8. Autism [23]
9. Neurodevelopment impairment [24]
10. Histamine sensitivity—triggering allergic reactions [25],[26]

It’s alarming to me that the connection between our health and GMOs is still debated today—even with the significant increase in many diseases and disorders. Numerous studies talk about various health issues that “could” be related to GMOs. Yet they still say they can’t find enough evidence of health risks related to genetically engineered foods.

New studies are on the rise showing direct evidence that GMOs and pesticide residue have very real health risks.

For example, David Bellinger, a professor at Harvard, is very concerned about the effects that insecticides have on the neurodevelopment of children. In his study, he shows lower IQ scores in children who are exposed to insecticides. [27] He says, “We do natural experiments on a population and wait until it shows up as bad.” [28]

Unfortunately, he’s right. This is exactly what’s happening right now with GMOs.

Here’s another example. A study from 2016 shows that Bt corn, which produces Bt toxin is “not substantially equivalent to its non-GMO counterpart.” [29]  Bt corn was originally engineered with Bt toxin to reduce the need to spray them with pesticides. [30]

One health risk of engineering GMOs with Bt toxin is that it replicates in almost every cell of the plant—including the grains. So now, when we eat corn, we’re also eating Bt toxin. And this is creating toxicity in our guts.

When researchers looked at certain types of proteins made by Bt corn, they found that Bt corn produced more putrescine and cadaverine—two toxic substances known as biogenic amines. These amines make you more sensitive to histamines and trigger allergic reactions. [31],[32]

Not surprisingly, there are studies that are in direct contrast to this. One from 2002 shows no significant evidence that genetically modified crops are any different from those that aren’t. [33]

I want to point out that the two studies above are only separated by 14 years. Which, in the world of science, isn’t that long. This shows us that we truly don’t know all of the consequences of GMO foods on our bodies or our environments.

There was a time when cigarettes were allowed in hospitals and airplanes. [34] And then, decades later, we knew better and changed our attitudes toward the health risks of smoking.

My hope is that with more studies the same thing will happen with GMOs. And that we’ll realize GMOs aren’t worth the risk to our health. Until then, it’s up to you to know what’s in your food. To help you do that, here are some tips to avoid GMOs in your food.

Thankfully, there are now resources out there to help you know exactly what’s in your food.

First, the USDA has extensive requirements for products labeled as “verified organic.” Your products will say if they’re organic. [35] If you don’t see an organic label on your food, chances are it’s not organic.

Another excellent, consumer-driven resource, is the Non-GMO Project. It’s a nonprofit company created because of the high demand to know exactly what’s in our food.

The Non-GMO Project verifies products as non-GMO through a third-party process. Then they label them as “Non-GMO Project Verified” if products pass their Non-GMO Project Standard. Their Standard is created by industry experts. It’s updated on an ongoing basis with the latest information about GMOs. [36]

When you see the Non-GMO Project Verified label, you know that it’s important to the brand to be transparent about all of the ingredients they use in their products.

Here are 4 ways you can avoid GMOs: