The debate on the health effects of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) rages on this week after the publication of a paper from a French group claiming rats fed GM maize that had been treated with a herbicide, Roundup ready, developed more tumors and died younger than rats fed on a control diet.
So why has this effect not been seen before? The group claim previous studies were not long enough and that they also studied animals only exposed to glycophosphate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, and not the complete herbicide that also contains other components.
Whether this research holds up to the intense scrutiny it has attracted remains to be seen. What is for sure is that the debate on GMO safety is far from over.
The paper was published on the website of the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal.