Can Genetically Modified Foods Trigger Gluten Sensitivity?

New study links GMOs to conditions that either may trigger or exacerbate gluten-related disorders

A new report links genetically modified organisms (GMOs) with gluten-related disorders and suggests GMOs might be an important environmental trigger for gluten sensitivity, estimated to affect as many as 18 million Americans.

GMO corn fieldPhoto by Lindsay Eyink. A GMO corn research field. The report has found that some GMO foods can cause an imbalance in gut flora.

The report, released by the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT), cites U.S. Department of Agriculture data, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency records, medical journal reviews and international research. The authors say the data link GMOs to five conditions that either may trigger or exacerbate gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder:

  • Intestinal permeability
  • Imbalanced gut bacteria
  • Immune activation and allergic response
  • Impaired digestion
  • Damage to the intestinal wall

Although wheat has been hybridized over the years, it is not a GMO, which can only be created by a laboratory process that inserts genetic material into plant DNA. Nine GMO food crops currently are being grown for commercial use: soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar from sugar beets, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya and alfalfa. In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80 percent of conventional processed food, says the Non-GMO Project.

Most GMOs are engineered to tolerate a weed killer called glyphosate and sold under the brand name Roundup. The crops contain high levels of this toxin at harvest. Corn and cotton varieties also are engineered to produce an insecticide called Bt-toxin. The report focuses primarily on the effects of these two toxins.

Glyphosate is a patented antibiotic that destroys beneficial gut bacteria. An imbalance of gut flora commonly accompanies celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders, Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at MIT, said in the IRT media release.

Bt-toxin in corn is designed to puncture holes in insect cells, but studies show it does the same in human cells, IRT executive director Jeffrey Smith said in the release. Smith said Bt-toxin may be linked to leaky gut, which physicians consistently see in gluten-sensitive patients.

Dr. Emily Linder offered support for the report’s findings. When she removed GMOs as part of the treatment for her patients with gluten sensitivity, she finds her patients recover faster and more completely.

“I believe that GMOs in our diet contribute to the rise in gluten-sensitivity in the U.S. population,” Linder said in the release.

The best way to avoid GMOs is to purchase certified organic or Non- GMO Project verified products.

The markets for both gluten-free products and non-GMO products are expanding. Gluten-free sales are expected to exceed $5 billion by 2015 and Non-GMO Project Verified sales went from $0 to more than $3.5 billion in the last three years.

Get the Journal in your inbox.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

You Make Our Work Possible

You Make Our Work Possible

We don’t have a paywall because, as a nonprofit publication, our mission is to inform, educate and inspire action to protect our living world. Which is why we rely on readers like you for support. If you believe in the work we do, please consider making a tax-deductible year-end donation to our Green Journalism Fund.

Donate
Get the Journal in your inbox.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

The Latest

Plastic Trash from Cruise Ships, Fishing Vessels Pollute Arctic Permafrost

While two thirds of the plastic debris in the region come from Arctic fisheries, almost a third is of European origin, researchers find.

Elena Kazamia

Are the Amazon’s Biggest Trees Dying? Forest Coroners Investigate

As tropical forests decline at increasing rates the fate of their largest trees remains unknown. The Gigante project aims to change that.

Daniel Grossman

Argentine Ecologist Awarded for Work on Biodiversity Loss

‘As a society we must rethink the lifestyle we lead.’

Julián Reingold

Can the Octopus Adapt Fast Enough for Climate Change?

Researchers are racing to understand how the cephalopod’s embryos react to warming waters.

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Where California Goes, There Goes the Nation

Gavin Newsom’s war on rooftop solar is a bad omen for the country.

Joshua Frank

Countries Fueling Israel’s Gaza War May Be Complicit in War Crimes, Experts Warn

Research tracks dozens of oil and fuel shipments that could have aided Israel’s war on Gaza.

Nina Lakhani Ajit Niranjan The Guardian