Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods [Hardcover]

Jeffrey M. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2007

Eating genetically modified food is gambling with every bite.
The biotech industry's claim that genetically modified (GM) foods are safe is shattered in this groundbreaking book. Sixty-five health risks of the foods that Americans eat every day are presented in easy-to-read two-page spreads. The left page is designed for the quick scanning reader; it includes bullets, illustrations, and quotes. The right side offers fully referenced text, describing both research studies and theoretical risks. The second half of Genetic Roulette shows how safety assessments on GM crops are not competent to identify the health problems presented in the first half. It also exposes how industry research is rigged to avoid finding problems.
This book, prepared in with input by more than 30 scientists, is for anyone wanting to understand GM technology, to learn how to protect themselves, or to share their concerns with others. It is presented in the clear, accessible style that made Jeffrey Smith's Seeds of Deception the world's best-selling book on genetically engineered foods. As the world's most complete reference on the health risks of GM foods, Genetic Roulette is also ideal for schools and libraries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When I worked at Monsanto, I warned both scientists and executives that our GM foods may cause disease, but no one was even willing to listen, let alone investigate the unpredicted side effects. For them, it was all about profit. Now our whole population is threatened by the serious dangers described in Genetic Roulette."
--Kirk J. Azevedo, DC

"Congratulations, Jeffrey Smith, for your courage. Thanks to your tireless investigations, we need wonder no longer why corporations spreading GMOs are so secretive, why they've spent hundreds of millions to keep us from even knowing which foods contain GMOs. They don't want us to examine the shoddy science, the suppressed evidence, and, most of all, the real health risks that GMOs present. Read Genetic Roulette not only to protect yourself and your family but to learn through this breath-taking story what all Americans need to do to reclaim our democracy and protect our planet."
-- Frances Moore Lapp©, author of Democracy's Edge and Diet for a Small Planet

"I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it--unless it says organic. Genetic Roulette tells you why you must avoid genetically engineered foods to stay healthy."
--John H. Boyles, MD, ear, nose, and throat, and allergy specialist

"Jeffrey Smith is the leading world expert in the understanding and communication of the health issues surrounding genetically modified foods. Genetic Roulette, which brings in original contributions by eminent scientists worldwide, makes it crystal clear that the American FDA should not be so cavalier about the potential dangers of these procedures."
--Candace Pert, PhD, author of Molecules of Emotion and Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d and former Chief of the Section, National Institutes of Health

"The most comprehensive, well-documented, and highly readable expos© on the serious health dangers of GM foods."
--Samuel S. Epstein, MD, professor emeritus of Environmental Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and chairman, Cancer Prevention Coalition

"This is the authentic book on genetic modification that the world has been waiting for. . . . The case presented is absolutely a smoking shotgun that should stop in its tracks any dabbling with GM foods, whether by individual families, food companies, or indeed nations. . . . Jeffrey Smith is one of the great campaigners of our age, a relentless pursuer of the truth, a fearless advocate in the corporate world of secret influence, and a ceaseless promoter of the public interest across the world. He is the modern David against the GM Goliath. This book may well provide the sling-shot to change the global course of events this century."
--Excerpts from the foreword by Michael Meacher, MP, former UK government environment minister

About the Author

Jeffrey M. Smith is the director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and is one of the world's leading advocates against GM foods. His book Seeds of Deception is rated the number one book on the subject and has had a substantial influence on public perception and even legislation. Smith has reached tens of millions of people through hundreds of media interviews. He produced the video Hidden Dangers in Kids' Meals, and also writes a popular monthly syndicated column. He is on the Genetic Engineering Committee of the Sierra Club, was the former vice president of marketing for a GMO detection laboratory, and ran for U.S. Congress in his home state of Iowa to raise public awareness of the health and environmental dangers of GM foods.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green; 4th edition (January 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972966528
• ISBN-13: 978-0972966528
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1.1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Nutrition > Genetically Engineered Food
  • #32 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Biotechnology
  • #86 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Genetics

More About the Author

Jeffrey M. Smith is the director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and is one of the worldÂ’s leading advocates against GM foods. His book Seeds of Deception is rated the number one book on the subject and has had a substantial influence on public perception and even legislation. Smith has reached tens of millions of people through hundreds of media interviews. He produced the video Hidden Dangers in KidsÂ’ Meals, and also writes a popular monthly syndicated column. He is on the Genetic Engineering Committee of the Sierra Club, was the former vice president of marketing for a GMO detection laboratory, and ran for U.S. Congress in his home state of Iowa to raise public awareness of the health and environmental dangers of GM foods.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

135 of 145 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The last word on GM risks June 8, 2007

By Ms. C. J. Robinson

Format:Hardcover

What's your response when someone comes out with a statement they've picked up from somewhere to the effect that "There's no evidence that GM food is harmful"?

If you have time and energy, perhaps you manage to scrabble together bits and pieces from memory, the web, or an article. But considering the number of calls that the business of living places on us, perhaps you just shrug your shoulders and muse that the world is going to hell in a handbasket of Bush, Blair, and Monsanto's making and there's nothing you can do about it.

Well, now there is. Just point them in the direction of the latest book from Jeffrey Smith, Genetic Roulette.

A must-read for policy-makers, educators, and journalists, it's also invaluable for anyone who wants to sharpen their weaponry in the battle against the imposition of GM foods. And judging by emails I've received from students asking about the risks of GM food, every educational institution and public library needs a copy.

Those who enjoyed Smith's previous book, Seeds of Deception, should be warned that this isn't the same sort of read. Seeds laid out the fraud of GM through its stories: the honest scientists who were gagged, threatened, and persecuted; the consumers who got sick and died from eating a supplement produced with GM bacteria, only to have their suffering covered up by a government protecting industry interests. Genetic Roulette is not a book of stories, but an easy-to-use reference book of scientific and other documented findings on the risks of GM foods.

Contrary to what the industry would have us believe, a considerable number of findings show GM causes harm, and they are clearly presented in this book. Given the worrying lack of substantial published research, Smith also draws upon unpublished studies, case studies, medical reports, media reports, and eyewitness accounts. Unlike the notorious pronouncements of biotech industry supporters, statements of opinion are never misrepresented as scientific fact. The author has gone to great lengths to maintain accuracy, having each section of the book checked by at least three scientists.

Conspicuous by their absence are follow-up studies to those that show harm from GM foods. The book details tactics that industry uses to bury inconvenient research, including ignoring it, attempting to discredit the research or its authors, and funding competing studies so poorly designed that no meaningful findings can be extracted. If all else fails, industry-aligned researchers discount deaths of experimental animals or claim that statistically significant results have, magically, no significance at all.

The layout of the book is an exemplar of clarity and should serve as the model for any reference book. It is designed to make the material accessible to three levels of reader: scanners, casual readers, and those who want detail. Each double-page spread is devoted to a problem with GM foods, with the left-hand page having the topic heading, a quote by an expert, and a few summarizing bullet points; the right-hand page gives technical detail. You don't need a science background to understand it. While the book is not bedtime reading, terms are defined and the boggle factor is kept low. The table of contents enables the reader to scan the problems with GM food and quickly to access the evidence on each.

Smith has to be the best science communicator alive today, and this book stands as the final word on GM health risks. It's the definitive answer to those who don't know, those who don't want to know, and those who know but don't want anyone else to know.

52 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference on GM foods September 18, 2007

By Christine H. Farlow

Format:Hardcover

Genetic Roulette is well organized, well researched and well documented. It's layout makes it easy to pick out the main points of a topic or get all the details. It makes a handy reference and a good resource for plowing through all the specifics.

Jeffrey Smith is a stickler for accuracy. When I contacted him to use some excerpts from his books in my new editon of FOOD ADDITIVES: A Shopper's Guide..., it was very clear to me that he wanted to make sure that I was absolutely accurate with my facts. He demonstrated to me, his commitment to complete and total accuracy and publishing only factual information.

If you want to know the truth about genetically engineered food, I highly recommend this book.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, if just for the references alone! August 16, 2009

By Brian

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an excellent companion to The Gmo Trilogy, for readers who wish to go into greater depth. The book explores possible medical risks associated with eating genetically modified foods, and comprises 1-2 page abstracts and essays by researchers. There are a lot more hypotheses than actual conclusions here, so none of these works have reached the stage of becoming peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. Skeptics may attach whatever significance they wish to that fact, but the references to each article are published, verifiable, and legitimate. In fact, if the dangers of GMO foods is a topic of interest to you, this book is a worthwhile purchase for the references alone! The articles are all of a scientific nature, and do not address social, political, or economic issues.

One recurring theme which comes up in these pages is the idea of drug resistance transmitted from ingested foods to intestinal flora. A common trait of many genetically modified plants is selective pesticide resistance. The desired crop can then be sprayed with these pesticides. It was previously believed that stomach acid would break down the plasmids which confer pesticide resistance, but that has been shown to be incorrect. Intact plasmids have been recovered from intestinal washings. There is prescedent to hypothesize that these plasmids could be transferred to gut flora, and under the right conditions, could cause a multidrug-resistant intestinal infection.

I don't have the expertise to judge the danger this may represent (maybe nobody does), but I would be interested in comments from anybody scientifically trained in these fields