monsanto

[catherine]

Interestingly, I just had this land in my FB feed:

Granted, it was posted by Occupy Monsanto, but what interests me is the possibility that "glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of …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.”


I've done lots of market research for manufacturers of obesity drugs, and I've always been suspicious that the explosion of obesity in this country (see this astounding CDC obesity trend deck) is something "under cover": not just people eating more McDonalds, but something much more insidious, like HFCS or some endocrine disrupter.

[ApatheticNoMore]

ApatheticNoMore, do you think my description of Monsanto is making excuses for them?

maybe something like "the system made them do it". Incentives are definitely all wrong (no required labeling of GMOs, legally enforced patenting of life forms, inadequate precautions for the effects of GMOs on ecosystems etc.. So not just the profit motive but basic legal incentives are all wrong), but still the heads of monsanto take those actions (and infiltrate the political process enough to set those incentives). In short, they are despicable.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I've done lots of market research for manufacturers of obesity drugs, and I've always been suspicious that the explosion of obesity in this country (see this astounding CDC obesity trend deck) is something "under cover": not just people eating more McDonalds, but something much more insidious, like HFCS or some endocrine disrupter.

possibly an infection, if you were a microcrobe you'd want to infect a species some 7 billion strong. It's sometimes seemed to me that just eating TOO MUCH, even of healthy organic food, and it's easy enough to eat too much in this world full of temptation, could lead to an extra 10 or 20 unwanted pounds, ok. But it hardly seems possible it could lead to extremes of weight gain. Obviously I don't know.

[catherine]

Obviously I don't know.

I don't know either, for sure. I'm not a biologist or chemist, but it's amazing to me that these trends have taken place in such a short amount of time! 30 years! When I started interviewing PCPs twenty years ago, a small percentage of their patients were being treated for diabetes. Now it's between 30-50%.

We could blame fast food, "grab-and-go" lifestyles, TV and video games, too many temptations, cars, too much wealth, too much availability of fattening foods, too little incentive to change lifestyle habits, women entering the workforce (don't yell at me, that's what some doctors think).. etc. etc. But in that mix, to me it makes sense to consider new chemicals that have never been available before 1980.

[pinkytoe]

I recently read Wheat Belly and it shows how obesity started its ascent in the mid 1980's. Interesting reading.

[MaryHu]

Here's a link to the website of the Canadian farmer whose fields were contaminated by his neighbor's Round Up Ready Canola. He never planted it but it infiltrated through cross pollination from his neighbor. Monsanto sued him for having some of THEIR crop without having paid for the patented seed. He sued right back for them polluting his seed strains which he had spent decades developing. Guess who won.

The "terminator" gene they are putting in some of their plants makes it impossible for farmer's to save seed from one year to the next, (as farmer's have been doing for millennia) all seeds are sterile so they must buy new seed each year from Monsanto. This gene is feared to be spreading through cross pollination/contamination so that Monsanto will soon own all crop life on earth. They are truly insidious, have deeper pockets than anyone and will sue even the smallest farmer if he gets on their wrong side.

[iris lily]

We could blame fast food, "grab-and-go" lifestyles, TV and video games, too many temptations, cars, too much wealth, too much availability of fattening foods, too little incentive to change lifestyle habits, women entering the workforce (don't yell at me, that's what some doctors think).. etc. etc. But in that mix, to me it makes sense to consider new chemicals that have never been available before 1980.

Insidious phantom chemical is easier to swallow than the obvious: few people engage in physical work, fatty sugery calories in faux food are everywhere. Ok.

Consider the new chemicals if you like, and certainly keep an open mind to that, but really--the evidence is all around us and it ain't stealth chemicals, it's human behavior.