GM Potatoes - Article in the Independent

[huw-l]

which really would me up. An environmental pressure group has dredged up some unpublished work to try and make the case that GM potatoes are unhealthy.

My first stab at it can be found here http://www.hlynes.com/2007/02/18/poisonous-potatoes/

Any comments or criticisms welcome.

[Jocky]

Good blog, Huw

As you say, the whole GM link is rather undermined by the fact that both groups of rats who ate potatoes (both GM and regular) suffered poor health. It leaves one wondering if the basic problem is whther that much potato is actually good for a rat, regardless of whether it's GM or not.

The "cancer" business is very odd. Is it too cynical of me to wonder if the C-word was slipped into a press release by the anti-GM group, and then uncritically copied by a busy journalist?

It's hard to see much justification for changing government policy on the basis of ten poorly rats in an unpublished study!

[Cuddles]

I don't see how they can claim this was supressed, this was one of the original studies that claimed GM potatoes were dangerous in the first place. When it was first produced it was shown to be horribly flawed and pretty much worthless. There were only 10 rats in each group, and since some of them died during the experiment there were actually even less than that to analyse, making it impossible to reach any statisticlly significant conclusion. It also appears that the diets weren't controlled, and many of the symptoms could have come from malnutrition, or even simply from small differences in the diet. The final point that really kills it is the fact that potatoes are poisonous, whether GM or not. We cook them, so we don't have problems, but if you feed raw potato of any type to any animal it will not be happy about it. All in all, some rather shocking reporting from the Independent, you really would think that they'd check firstly that they're reporting the truth and secondly that it's actually news and not something over a decade old.

[Jocky]

The final point that really kills it is the fact that potatoes are poisonous

good choice of words there, cuddles

[huw-l]

Good blog, Huw

Thankyou :)

The "cancer" business is very odd. Is it too cynical of me to wonder if the C-word was slipped into a press release by the anti-GM group, and then uncritically copied by a busy journalist?

I suspect that's exactly what happened. If you look at the byline it's written by their political editor not a science journo.

[huw-l]

The final point that really kills it is the fact that potatoes are poisonous, whether GM or not. We cook them, so we don't have problems, but if you feed raw potato of any type to any animal it will not be happy about it.

To be fair they did actually cook the potato in this study. However you are absolutely right in the context of the famous Arpad Pusztai experiment as 'published' on World in Action.

I'm really hoping that the CFIA have an easy way to get their full reports. Then we can see how this sort of study should be done. Maybe I should ask on the JREF to see if any Canadian natives can get hold of it?

[Admin]

What always amazes me with this sort of reporting is that such stories, presumably, never go through a science editor.

Why do supposedly high-quality newspapers publish junk like this?

There were only 10 rats in each group, and since some of them died during the experiment there were actually even less than that to analyse

Ah ha! Proof that potatoes are lethal.

[huw-l]

I just got an email off Ben Goldacre :D

I'm such a fan-boy.