Monsanto and pubery: the misinformation and bias

"Are GM crops associated with the early onset of puberty?

While there is evidence that girls are experiencing the onset of puberty at a younger age than they have in the past, there is no evidence to suggest that GM crops are involved. Most experts believe this is a result of improved nutrition.
Additional information at:

• http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/121/Supplement_3/S208
• http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002256.html
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616151748.htm
• http://www.endo-society.org/media/ENDO-08/research/Age-at-puberty-linked.cfm

There are three basic bodies of evidence to support this statement:

• First, millions of tons of GM crops have been fed to farm animals for more than a decade. There is no evidence of early onset of puberty in farm animals.
• Second, studies with GM crops in laboratory animals also have failed to show any association between GM foods and early onset of puberty or other unexpected hormonal effects. (We have to say “unexpected, because all soybeans naturally contain phytoestrogens (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phytoestrogen), which have known hormonal effects).
• Finally, the advancing age of puberty is a phenomenon that predates the introduction of GM crops, and which has occurred in most developed nations, despite the fact that GM use varies widely.

It is important to note that earlier onset of normal puberty is very different from precocious onset of abnormal puberty. With earlier onset of puberty, puberty is reached at an age that is earlier than historical norms, but is physiologically normal. There is no evidence to suggest that physiologically abnormal precocious puberty is on the rise. "

Excerpt from http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/food-safety.aspx


Alright, lets look at this.

This is a direct quote from the Monsanto website, where they try to convince people about how safe GMO foods are. This is a paragraph involving early pubery, and Monsanto is attempting to debunk claims that pubery is hastened by GMOs. their method, though, is very biased.

First, lets look at the links that they give you. When you click on them, you expect detailed. scicentific articles about GMOs and pubery . However, you get, well obesity and pubery. No mention of GMOs anywhere. Why arent they giving us specific information about GMOs? We aren't talking about obesity here. However, their intent is obvious, by omitting information about GMOs, they are trying to show that early pubery is caused only by obesity. This is blatant bias by ommision.

Lets look at the next bullet. They talk about farm animals. For some reason, it seems that Monsanto has decided that farm animals are a very good check for early puberty. Never mind the fact that they are practically pumped with steroids since birth to speed up growth, etc., so any added hormones probrably wouldn't have much of an effect. This makes them rather convinent for this situation, no?

Second  bullet: back to the lab. What lab studies? They didn't provide any links. And what lab studies are these? Monsanto funded? The kind of lab studies that inisted that GMOs are entirely safe before independent researches found that they may cause an increase in cancer rates? Reliable studies? Biased studies? We are expected here to blindly accept that whatever the men in white coats say is the absolute truth. Also, are there any studies that show the opposite? Why aren't they mentioned? Are they, oh, I don't know, omitting something? Twisting the facts to suit themselves? I say yes.

Third bullet: where is the evidence? can you provide proof that it predates the introduction of GMOs? Omitting things again? Also, I do concur that the phenomena does predate GMOs, we can see that from the obesity articles, obesity is no stranger to developed nations, but has the rate increased? Why isn't that mentioned? ALso, if obesity may have started it in developed nations, but what about the undeveloped ones? Bias by ommittion again, mention a perhaps true fact about developed nations to take the spotlight away from undeveloped nations. What is happening there?

Finally, their last statement seems like an act of desperation. Why would they put this in? Why would they want to clarify the difference between types of early puberty without addmiting that perhaps, there is a correlation between pubery and GMOs? Also, is not early pubery in a population the forerunner of Precocious puberty? if everyone gets puberty earlier and earlier, won't that lead to precocious puberty? Again and again, Monsanto is trying to mislead the public about their products.