A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF THREE GM CORN VARIETIES ON MAMMALIAN

Health by J.S.De Vendômois, F. Roullier, D. Cellier, G.-E. Séralini.
We present for the first time a comparative analysis of blood and
organ system data from trials with rats fed three main commercialized
genetically modified (GM) maize (NK 603, MON 810, MON 863), which are
present in food and feed in the world. NK 603 has been modified to be
tolerant to the broad spectrum herbicide Roundup and thus contains
residues of this formulation. MON 810 and MON 863 are engineered to
synthesize two different Bt toxins used as insecticides. Approximately
60 different biochemical parameters were classified per organ and
measured in serum and urine after 5 and 14 weeks of feeding. GM maize-
fed rats were compared first to their respective isogenic or parental
non-GM equivalent control groups. This was followed by comparison to
six reference groups, which had consumed various other non-GM maize
varieties. We applied nonparametric methods, including multiple
pairwise comparisons with a False Discovery Rate approach. Principal
Component Analysis allowed the investigation of scattering of
different factors (sex, weeks of feeding, diet, dose and group). Our
analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with
GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent.
Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary
detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other
effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and
haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of
hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to
each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic
consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded.

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