An important puzzle piece links GMOs (genetically modified organisms) found in a vast array of food products and gluten sensitivity. If you’ve dismissed friends who engage in the current “fad” of gluten intolerance, you may change your mind after reading this chapter.
A team of experts affiliated with the Institute for Responsible Technology says that GMOs and seeds inoculated with RoundUp™ herbicide and Bt-toxin insecticide trigger gluten-related disorders that affect 18 million Americans.
Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and gluten sensitivity can cause symptoms ranging from gas and bloating to celiac disease, a serous autoimmune condition that can be life threatening.
A number of environmental links to gluten sensitivity have been proposed, including the higher gluten content of modern wheat strains (a 2013 review of data commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found no evidence to confirm this).
Other possible environmental factors in the dramatically increased incidence of gluten sensitivity include increased consumption of wheat and gluten products, the introduction of wheat to children at an early age, shorter breastfeeding duration, the current popularity of cesarean birth that prevents the infant from being inoculated with beneficial bacteria in the mother’s vaginal tract and general alterations in intestinal microflora in the population.
This is complex subject matter, so I’ll try to make it as simple as possible. You’re welcome to the full report at http://responsibletechnology.org/glutenintroduction for yourself. There is an extensive list of references at the end of the article.
1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and an array of research published in national and international medical journals links GM foods to five conditions that may either trigger or aggravate gluten-related disorders, including the serious autoimmune disorder, celiac disease:
Intestinal permeability
Imbalanced gut bacteria
Immune activation and allergic response
Impaired digestion
Damage to the intestinal wall
2. There are nine GMO food crops currently being grown for commercial use: soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar from sugar beets, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya and alfalfa. Wheat is not among them. Stay with me.
4. Most GMO crops are engineered to tolerate a RoundUp, the weed killer also known as glyphosate. They contain high levels of this toxin at harvest. Research shows that glyphosate, even in very small doses, can significantly reduce the population of beneficial intestinal bacteria in humans and animals, and promote the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. This causes inflammation, leaky gut and immune reactions, all of which are linked to gluten-related disorders. Glyphosate also increases retinoic acid sensitivity, which has been shown to trigger gluten sensitivity.
5. Corn and cotton varieties are also engineered to produce an insecticide called the Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt-toxin. Bt toxin in GMO corn kills insects by punching holes in their digestive tracts and a 2012 study confirmed it punches holes in human digestive tracts, too. Bt-toxin has also been linked to overstimulation of the immune system and allergies.
Dr. Tom O’Bryan, internationally recognized expert on gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, says, “The introduction of GMOs is highly suspect as a candidate to explain the rapid rise in gluten-related disorders over the last 17 years.”
Internist, Emily Linder MD, says, “Based on my clinical experience, when I remove genetically modified foods as part of the treatment for gluten sensitivity, recovery is faster and more complete. I believe that GMOs in our diet contribute to the rise in gluten sensitivity in the U.S. population.”
How can we avoid GMOs? That’s the million-dollar question since food manufacturers have been successful thus far in their well-financed campaign to prevent GMO labeling.
One answer: Eat entirely organic. If your budget can’t accommodate that (mine can’t!), avoid all foods on the GMO list, including the wide variety of processed foods that contain corn and soy. You’ll have to be a careful label reader since so many related products are carefully disguised on ingredient lists.
I’d love to hear from readers about your strategies for avoiding GMOs.
