By: John Ferguson
Subject: GMO garden plants herbicide paraquat and Parkinson’s disease topsoil
We have talked about the dangers and problems of genetically modified (GMO) vegetable plants on many occasions. This issue may soon be affecting gardeners and the plants we grow, especially the food plants for birds and pollinators, as GMO plants and flower seeds become more available.
Our pollinators and wildlife are already struggling to survive and GMO flowers and fruits, will harm them even more. One of the most common GMO vegetables is soybeans which has some of the highest levels of the toxic chemical glyphosate on them. Researchers are now looking at how they compare to non-GMO varieties.
The Third World Network provided a summary of the new research on GMO soybeans. They found increased levels of allergens, and 70 proteins that were differentially altered or expressed compared to non-GMO varieties. Detailed analysis found altered metabolic pathways leading to increased allergenic potential. The negative effects of consuming these altered proteins are just beginning to be discovered.
For example, during the recent COVID pandemic, researchers at MIT found a strong correlation that people whom ate the most GMO foods, had the highest level of deaths from this disease. They also had higher cancer rates.
Hence to protect our butterflies, birds and other wildlife make sure the plants or seeds you purchase are non-GMO. Similarly, as we are finding in vegetables, heirloom varieties have the highest nutrient density, the most health promoting compounds, and the most anti-cancer compounds (sometimes called secondary plant metabolites).
Another problem we are seeing in society is a large increase in Parkinson’s disease. Numerous researchers have found that the herbicide paraquat can cause neurological changes that are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease.
A full report summarizing the latest research can be found in the report: “Revealed: The secret push to bury a weedkiller’s link to Parkinson’s disease”
Which can be found at www.theguardian.com
I read a scary article last week that stated the United States has lost 57.6 billion tons of topsoil due to its farming practices over the recent decades. The rate of erosion is over 25 times higher than the formation of new topsoil. “It turns out the that the far greater driver of soil erosion in the midwestern U.S. has been conventional agriculture. Research from the University of Massachusetts published in the journal, Earths Future (2023)
When I read something like this, it reminds me that the bible mentions, “the earth will wear out” on several occasions (Isaiah 51:6, Psalm 102:26, Hebrews 1:10-12, etc.). I wonder how much is a prophecy of our future.
