Golden Rice fairy tale nothing more than biotech industry GMO propaganda
Source: intellihub.com
GMO fantasy land adherents claim that golden rice is genetically engineered to produce higher levels of beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A, preventing blindness and death, they say. These claims, however, have no basis in fact. “Golden Rice” is a biotech Fairy Tale introduced for public relations purposes and utterly lacking in any scientific proof for its claimed “benefits” to anyone.
To bring reason and rationality to the golden rice fairy tale, I’ve assembled a list of ten glaring contradictions in the arguments of golden rice advocates, nearly all of whom have financial ties to the GMO biotech industry. People who believe in Golden Rice, in turns out, are weak-minded individuals who believe almost anything powerful corporations tell them. They probably also believed previous corporate claims like, “Tobacco is good for you, DDT is harmless, Agent Orange is harmless and Thalidomide is great for pregnant women!” And hey, maybe chemotherapy enhances brain function and mercury in vaccines makes children smarter, too!Here are ten important things golden rice advocates won’t tell you about their Fairy Tale rice:
#1) There is no scientific basis to claim that the beta carotene artificially produced in golden rice survives storage and cooking to actually be absorbed by those who eat it
No clinical trials have ever been conducted showing that the beta carotene engineered into golden rice actually makes its way from harvest, to storage, to cooking and into the human body intact. There is no evidence to support any claim that golden rice, when grown and harvested in the traditional manner of southeast Asian cultures, will actually raise levels of beta carotene in the bodies of those who eat it.
We cannot simply assume that an artificially-induced phytonutrient will survive harvesting, storage and cooking to deliver the claimed impact on human health unless it is extensively studied. The studies that have been done on golden rice and beta carotene consumption were conducted under laboratory conditions, not real-world conditions — but all the “benefits” of golden rice are automatically claimed to apply to impoverished populations in the real world!
#2) Golden rice advocates utterly ignore the environmental risks of genetic pollution
There are no scientific studies whatsoever to show that the open-field cultivation of genetically engineered golden rice is safe for the environment. The risk of genetic pollution that might contaminate and alter neighboring rice populations has been callously and irresponsibly ignored by golden rice advocates. (This is part of the “faith” requirement to join the Church of Biotechnology.)
There is also risk that this alteration of golden rice may have unintended consequences such as creating new vulnerabilities to pests or microbial infections. These risks are routinely dismissed by golden rice advocates as if they did not exist. Murphy’s Law tells us that good intentions often have unintended negative consequences. To pretend they do not exist is the height of scientific irresponsibility.
#3) There is no scientific basis whatsoever for the claim that golden rice can “prevent blindness” or “prevent death” as is being widely claimed
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Read the full article at: intellihub.com
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