Two -omics studies on genetically modified maize and Roundup-fed rats, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, contain serious flaws in the experimental design, methodology and interpretation of results ….
The first study …. claims that genetic transformation process caused metabolic disturbances in genetically modified (GM) NK603 Roundup-tolerant maize, questioning the compositional similarity of this cultivar to a non-GM control cultivar. The second study …. reports that exposure of rats to an ultra-low dose of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup were found to cause …. changes allegedly indicative of liver dysfunction. Both reports are based on samples collected from an earlier two-year study
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The authors seem to misinterpret the Substantial Equivalence concept [used to evaluate the safety of GMO food ingredients], which recognizes that differences between varieties will always be observed, providing a starting-point of the food safety evaluation rather than an end-point in itself. Any observed differences indicated by molecular profiling are not necessarily biologically meaningful in a health and safety context ….
Both GM crops and glyphosate are currently subjects of political discussion in the European Union. Since the accumulated scientific body of evidence can (and should) be used to guide policy decisions, it is imperative that the research is solid and indisputable.
Read full, original article: Comments on two recent publications on GM maize and Roundup
