About the "harm" of GM corn: the verdict is final

Experiments on feeding GMOs to rats were officially recognized as unscientific

Copper newsThe European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the final verdict on the sensational study that tested the toxicity of genetically modified corn, according to ScienceInsider (European Agency's Final Verdict on Controversial GM Study: Not Scientifically Sound).

We are talking about the September publication on the website of the international journal "Food and Chemical Toxicology" (Elsevier), the results of two-year experiments by a group of scientists led by Gilles-Eric Seralini from Caen University, in which the authors claim that rats fed on transgenic corn NK603, are susceptible to the development of mammary gland tumors, as well as renal and hepatic insufficiency, which lead to premature death of animals.

The publication provoked an immediate response from the scientific community. The experts' comments concerned both the staging of the experiment, in particular, the selection of a line of experimental animals (obviously prone to the formation of breast tumors, especially with unlimited food intake), and the interpretation of the results obtained, primarily their statistical analysis.

The EFSA examination showed that Seralini and his colleagues did not adhere to generally accepted scientific standards, and therefore the agency considers a re-evaluation of the safety of a transgenic product, the need for which was discussed after publication, unnecessary.

At the request of the European Commission, a working group was set up by the agency to examine this study, which came to preliminary conclusions about the groundlessness of the conclusions of the French authors in early October. Similar conclusions were made a few weeks later by two French regulatory bodies: the High Council of Biotechnology (HCB) and the Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Occupational Health (Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).

Now, having completed its own analysis of the published data, as well as taking into account independent assessments received from experts from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and France, EFSA considered Seralini's study insufficient. The conclusion of the European Agency says that to assess the risks of using genetically modified organisms (GMOs), this study is of "inadequate scientific quality" due to its "inadequate design, data presentation and analysis."

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru30.11.2012