Thread by @GMWatch

Leading molecular geneticist warns about the impact of #GMOs (including gene editing) and glyphosate gmwatch.org/en/106-news/la… His deep familiarity with gene editing makes him concerned about its deregulation. And his cutting-edge research makes him concerned about #glyphosate

Dr Michael Antoniou says deregulation "will make it almost a free-for-all", which he views with great concern because gene editing technologies are "nowhere near as precise" as claimed – "in fact, they are imprecise, and they carry major risks to both health and the environment."

Dr Antoniou contrasts the highly regulated, highly contained, carefully monitored & targeted use of gene editing in a clinical context, with agriculture where deregulated novel engineered organisms carrying unintentional genetic damage will be freely released into the environment

Deregulation will exclude gene editing from the GM definition so a farmer or a supermarket could be selling GMOs inadvertently as non-GM. Legally that may be true but scientifically it's completely dishonest, as gene editing is unquestionably a GM process that gives rise to #GMOs

Antoniou's research compared a #GMO corn with its non-GMO equivalent. He found the GM process had caused major compositional changes in terms of the protein and other small molecule biochemicals. This is where the dangers come and regulators fail to conduct a good enough analysis

There have been many well-conducted laboratory animal feeding studies which have consistently shown negative health outcomes from the consumption of #GMO food. The liver & kidney functions are particularly negatively impacted, but the digestive & immune systems are disturbed too.

Any claim that in the US people have now been eating #GMO foods for ages without getting ill is totally unscientific as no epidemiological studies have been done to investigate that. But the animal studies show we should be looking for adverse effects in the human population.

Antoniou's studies—like those of other researchers—have found multiple mechanisms of harm from #glyphosate-based herbicides. His 1st study showed clear signs of liver damage, a condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to necrosis & liver cancer as well

A key point to understand about Dr Antoniou's 1st (long-term) study, showing clear signs of liver damage, is the "rats were fed an incredibly low dose of Roundup—so low that it's massively lower than what regulators permit in Europe to be ingested (in food etc) on a daily basis."

"In our most recent publications on Roundup & glyphosate we've found clear evidence (of) oxidative stress. It causes disruption in the gut environment and.. gut health is so important to general health. We found major disturbances in the gut of rats" fed Roundup or #glyphosate

As well as damage to the gut from both Roundup and #glyphosate "we found again major disturbances in their blood biochemistry" and their liver & kidney biochemistry as well. "All suggestive of oxidative stress," which is also known to cause DNA damage, which can lead to cancer.