2004年七月，美国国家科学院颁布的报告以全球十年跟踪调查的案例为例、清楚阐明转基因食品对人类健康、动物健康和生态环境都有危害损失和潜在威胁。那以后至今，越来越多的实验或调查报告的案例支持那个结论。譬如：
- 去年年底，法国科研人员发表的实验报告说明，转基因对
老鼠内脏有显著的毒性副作用；该报告还指明了孟山都实验数据有严重方法问题和不完整问题，即其所谓安全结论是非常不可靠的。
- 自转基因作物上市以来，狗
猫等宠物饲料导致病变或死亡的案例大增、以至于宠物饲料召回数量超常增加。前阵子，有学术组织和科研机构感到奇怪，就对那些饲料做了抽查，发现多数都添加了转基因食品。于是，他们决定有系统地全面检验宠物饲料，用标签方式把转基因和非转基因饲料严格分开。
- 英美澳等国家的医学调查和长期临床观察说明，使用转基因食品的病人的防毒、防过敏和免疫等方面的保健功能明显差于不吃转基因食品的病人。譬如，人类使用转基因食品后至今十多年里，过敏症状大大增加，特别是少儿食品过敏症状异常增加。
- 约五年前，美国政府认为“生物恐怖主义”随时随地可能发生、其中一个手段就是转基因食品诱发过敏症。为此，由环保总署等部门牵头开展了“食品过敏和转基因食品”的课题研究，专攻如何通过转基因食品诱发过敏、如何防治转基因食品过敏症。行家认为，如果转基因食品对人类是完全安全的而没有任何副作用，那么，美国环保总署搞 的那个高消耗研究课题就是多此一举了。
根据多年发生的大量的转基因食品威胁人类和动物的健康安全的事实案例，2009年05月，美国环境医学科学研究院以相当强烈的语言发表声明、向所有成员医生提出建议，说：转基因食品对病人有严重的安全威胁 ；因此，为病人治疗安全和公共健康安全，我们（该机构)号召成员医生不要让他们的病人食用转基因食品，并教育所在社区民众尽量避免食用转基因食品；我们号召成员医生特别注意食用转基因食品的病人的临床记录，做好数据收集整理；我们要求所有食品都标明是否是转基因食品或含有转基因食品。该机构还要求美国政府尽早实现所有食品标签都遵守法规、都明确标记是否为转基因食品，不能对所谓传统食品严格要求标签标记、而对转基因食品特殊照顾、让其逍遥法外。
根据该机构的声明，地球安全等组织列出了美国社会早些时候反映的大问题：孟山都公司的转基因食品安全的申请报告，是自己批准自己。该披露说：
玛格利特·米勒是孟山都公司的科研人员；她把公司有关转基因食品安全和上市的申请报告交给美国食品及药物管理总署（FDA-)后，便离职和到FDA-就职了，且负责审核批准转基因食品申请报告。结果是： 玛格利特·米勒审核批准了自己的申请报告。与此同时，玛格利特·米勒修改了一些准入审核标准尺度。如此一来，孟山都公司的转基因食品安全的报告和商品化上市申请得到FDA-的顺利批准，且它的转基因作物能够顺利和快速地实现商品化和上市。
去年年底，法国科研人员的实验报告清楚指明，孟山都公司的转基因食品安全的实验报告在实验方法方面有严重问题、数据也是严重不完整，即其实验报告是很不可靠的。就是说，FDA-批准孟山都公司报告申请，不但是涉嫌“自己批准自己”的严重利益冲突、且也涉嫌严重作假作弊，是一大丑闻。若反映问题属实，那将是美国社会一大丑闻，且也是转基因食品史上的一大丑闻。奥巴马当局就职一年两个月，还没机会介入此事，因而，事态发展如何，还未可知。
与此同时，有个很值得注意的动向。本月24日，本人帖文引用美国政府农业部的十年市场预测、做了简单分析说：今后十年，转基因食品作物生产消费将开始从发达国家向发展中国家转移。差不多同时，路透社等发表新闻报道说，继美国减少BT转基因玉米
棉花种植面积后，欧盟国家也开始显著减少转基因玉米等食品种植面积；与2008年比较，其2009年的转基因食品种植面积减少了12%，而总量却增加7%；考察发现，那些增加量一半以上发生在发展中国家。就是说，转基因作物生产从发达国家向发展中国家的转移已经开始，比本人估计来得更早。 此外，前些时候的相关报道说，越来越多的美国农民转向非转基因作物种植。
美国环境医学科学研究院于1965年成立，由美国等发达国家为主的医学界专业人士组成。下面是该机构的有关声明部分摘录（有兴趣或核实，请阅读全文)：
一、美国环境医学科学研究院呼吁暂停转基因食品。The American Academy Of Environmental Medicine Calls For
Immediate Moratorium On Genetically Modified Foods .Press Advisory May 19, 2009.
URL：http://www。aaemonline。org/gmopressrelease.html
Wichita, KS - The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) today released its position paper on Genetically Modified foods stating that "GM foods pose a serious health risk" and calling for a moratorium on GM foods. Citing several animal studies, the AAEM concludes "there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects" and that "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health."
The AAEM calls for:
- A moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term safety testing and labeling of GM food.
- Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community and the public to avoid GM foods.
- Physicians to consider the role of GM foods in their patients" disease processes.
- More independent long term scientific studies to begin gathering data to investigate the role of GM foods on human health.
"Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients" and the public"s health," said Dr. Amy Dean, PR chair and Board Member of AAEM.
"Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions," said Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, President of AAEM. "The most common foods in North America which are consumed that are GMO are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil."
The AAEM"s position paper on Genetically Modified foods can be found at http:aaemonline。org/gmopost.html.
AAEM is an international association of physicians and other professionals dedicated to addressing the clinical aspects of environmental health. More information is available at www。aaemonline。org.
二、美国环境医学科学研究院关于转基因食品的立场声明。Genetically Modified Foods AAEM, May 8, 2009.
URL:http://www。aaemonline。org/gmopost.html
According to the World Health Organization, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are "organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in such a way that does not occur naturally."1 This technology is also referred to as "genetic engineering", "biotechnology" or "recombinant DNA technology" and consists of randomly inserting genetic fragments of DNA from one organism to another, usually from a different species. For example, an artificial combination of genes that includes a gene to produce the pesticide Cry1Ab protein (commonly known as Bt toxin), originally found in Bacillus thuringiensis, is inserted in to the DNA of corn randomly. Both the location of the transferred gene sequence in the corn DNA and the consequences of the insertion differ with each insertion. The plant cells that have taken up the inserted gene are then grown in a lab using tissue culture and/or nutrient medium that allows them to develop into plants that are used to grow GM food crops.2
Natural breeding processes have been safely utilized for the past several thousand years. In contrast, "GE crop technology abrogates natural reproductive processes, selection occurs at the single cell level, the procedure is highly mutagenic and routinely breeches genera barriers, and the technique has only been used commercially for 10 years."3
Despite these differences, safety assessment of GM foods has been based on the idea of "substantial equivalence" such that "if a new food is found to be substantially equivalent in composition and nutritional characteristics to an existing food, it can be regarded as safe as the conventional food."4 However, several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.
There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation as defined by Hill"s Criteria in the areas of strength of association, consistency, specificity, biological gradient, and biological plausibility.5 The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.2,6,7,8,9,10,11
Specificity of the association of GM foods and specific disease processes is also supported. Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation, including upregulation of cytokines associated with asthma, allergy, and inflammation. 6,11 Animal studies also show altered structure and function of the liver, including altered lipid and carbohydrate metabolism as well as cellular changes that could lead to accelerated aging and possibly lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). 7,8,10 Changes in the kidney, pancreas and spleen have also been documented. 6,8,10 A recent 2008 study links GM corn with infertility, showing a significant decrease in offspring over time and significantly lower litter weight in mice fed GM corn.8 This study also found that over 400 genes were found to be expressed differently in the mice fed GM corn. These are genes known to control protein synthesis and modification, cell signaling, cholesterol synthesis, and insulin regulation. Studies also show intestinal damage in animals fed GM foods, including proliferative cell growth9 and disruption of the intestinal immune system.6
Regarding biological gradient, one study, done by Kroghsbo, et al., has shown that rats fed transgenic Bt rice trended to a dose related response for Bt specific IgA. 11
Also, because of the mounting data, it is biologically plausible for Genetically Modified Foods to cause adverse health effects in humans.
In spite of this risk, the biotechnology industry claims that GM foods can feed the world through production of higher crop yields. However, a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists reviewed 12 academic studies and indicates otherwise: "The several thousand field trials over the last 20 years for genes aimed at increasing operational or intrinsic yield (of crops) indicate a significant undertaking. Yet none of these field trials have resulted in increased yield in commercialized major food/feed crops, with the exception of Bt corn."12 However, it was further stated that this increase is largely due to traditional breeding improvements.
Therefore, because GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health and are without benefit, the AAEM believes that it is imperative to adopt the precautionary principle, which is one of the main regulatory tools of the European Union environmental and health policy and serves as a foundation for several international agreements.13 The most commonly used definition is from the 1992 Rio Declaration that states: "In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."13
Another often used definition originated from an environmental meeting in the United States in 1998 stating: "When an activity raises threats to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken, even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context, the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof (of the safety of the activity)."13
With the precautionary principle in mind, because GM foods have not been properly tested for human consumption, and because there is ample evidence of probable harm, the AAEM asks:
- Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.
- Physicians to consider the possible role of GM foods in the disease processes of the patients they treat and to document any changes in patient health when changing from GM food to non-GM food.
- Our members, the medical community, and the independent scientific community to gather case studies potentially related to GM food consumption and health effects, begin epidemiological research to investigate the role of GM foods on human health, and conduct safe methods of determining the effect of GM foods on human health.
- For a moratorium on GM food, implementation of immediate long term independent safety testing, and labeling of GM foods, which is necessary for the health and safety of consumers.
Bibliography: Genetically Modified Foods Position Paper AAEM （略)。
－－－－－－－－－－－转基因与非转基因食物如何区别?
－－－－－－－－－－－现在的转基因食品越来越多,真不知道以后该吃什么啦.
－－－－－－－－－－－吃了大不了就是死嘛，中国人历来就把死看得很简单，有句成语叫视死如归，就是说把死当成回家一样，还有什么可怕的吗？
