Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

 

Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

A study published back in May was the first to show that the Bt toxin from genetically modified corn enters the bloodstream. The study involved 30 pregnant women and 39 non-pregnant Canadian women, and found the toxin in 93 percent of the pregnant women, in 80 percent of the umbilical cord blood of their babies, and in 67 percent of the non-pregnant women.

The researchers suggest that the toxins entered the bloodstream by way of the consumption of meat from animals fed Bt corn. Certainly dairy from animals fed Bt corn, or even corn products made of Bt corn, could also be sources of the toxin. Fully 88 percent of the corn planted in the U.S. is genetically engineered. Much of this is used as animal feed, though genetically modified corn ingredients can also be found in a vast array of processed foods.

There is currently a movement to pass legislation that would require labeling of genetically modified foods. Visit the website for the Institute for Responsible Technology to sign a petition, and to see video segments from the Dr. Oz show on this topic.

When it comes to genetically engineered foods, one major fear has been that genetically modified plants could spread to the wild. Another recent study, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, has found that this is now a reality. Large populations of genetically engineered canola have been found outside of cultivation areas, and are capable of hybridizing with each other, creating yet new combinations of transgenic traits.

This week, if you think that genetically modified foods should be labeled, sign the petition here.