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  dorpus, 11 Mar 2003 @ 1:38pm

  
  

  Good deeds are good business

  There is a mostly irrational backlash against genetically modified crops. It should be pointed out that no crop on Earth today is natural anyway; humans have been selectively breeding crops for thousands of years to enhance their value as food.
  
  Contrary to popular myth, wild crops are generally quite bad for you. Glucosinolates are chemicals that can inhibit the function of the thyroid gland. Various components of the chemicals can be detrimental to both humans and livestock. Goitrin inhibits thyroid function. Thiocynates and isothiocyanates inhibit iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. Nitriles can be formed from glucosinolates and these chemicals are toxic, affecting the liver and kidneys (Cheeke and Schull 1985). SMCO (S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide) is an alpha-amino acid that causes hemolytic anemia in livestock. This chemical is restricted to various members of the family Cruciferae in the genera Brassica and Raphanus as well as the family Liliaceae in the genus Allium (onions). Additional notes on this chemical can be found under members of these genera. The concentration of SMCO in kale plants may double as the plants mature. The quantity of SMCO is increased with the addition of nitrogen to high-sulfate soils. SMCO can be greatly reduced in low-sulfate soils. The variation of SMCO varies greatly amongst different varieties of plants in the genus Brassica, suggesting that concentrations of SMCO may be heritable (Benevenga et al. 1989).
  
  One of the great, under-publicized achievements of the 20th century was identifying these chemicals and their toxic effects. When scientists created new strains of crops with the toxins removed, people became taller and healthier. Goiter, once a common, disfiguring ailment caused by iodine-depriving vegetables, became a rarity. There is no reason why Africans cannot enjoy healthier modern crops like the rest of us.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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    dorpus, 11 Mar 2003 @ 2:06pm

    
    

    Re: Good deeds are good business

    A few years ago, the "Rat children" of Pakistan made the news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/122670.stm It turned out the children were suffering from iodine deficiency. Although iodized salt was available locally, there was an urban legend that the CIA is putting iodine in table salt to make Muslim men sterile. This was an example of how anti-GM fear mongering can be taken too far.

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