Gene edited tomato human trial begins — raising alarms over safety, oversight and public trust
- The ViTaL-D Study, led by the Quadram Institute and John Innes Centre, recruited 76 adults with low vitamin D to test if a gene edited tomato soup can boost vitamin D over 21 days.
- In the engineered tomatoes, a targeted gene is disabled so 7‑dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) accumulates; when exposed to UVB light on the tissue surface, 7-DHC converts to vitamin D3.
- The trial is an efficacy study (not safety or long‑term assessment), comparing vitamin D status in groups receiving gene edited tomato soup, non‑edited tomato soup or non‑edited plus a vitamin D supplement.
- Critics caution that without evaluating long term effects or unintended consequences, the trial may serve more as proof of concept or marketing than comprehensive health validation.
- Practical challenges include UV treatment damaging other nutrients, the need to slice or process tomatoes (meaning no fresh tomato form) and consumer, regulatory and labeling hurdles in marketing a GM derived vitamin D product.
The Quadram Institute, working in partnership with the John Innes Centre, is launching a human trial of a gene edited tomato product aimed at testing whether it can boost vitamin D levels in people. The "ViTaL D Study" is recruiting 76 adults with low vitamin D, who will consume a daily portion of tomato soup—some of it made from specially engineered tomatoes carrying a vitamin D precursor—over a 21 day period.
In the engineered tomatoes, scientists have turned off a gene to enable accumulation of a compound called 7 dehydrocholesterol (7 DHC), which under exposure to ultraviolet‑B (UVB) light is converted into vitamin D3. Because UV exposure only reaches the surface, the researchers plan to use thinly sliced or processed forms (e.g. soup) rather than whole fruit in the trial.
The trial is not designed to assess long-term safety or broader health impacts. Rather, it is an efficacy trial: participants' blood levels of vitamin D (or its markers) will be compared across groups receiving the gene edited tomato soup, non edited tomato soup or non edited tomato plus an equivalent dose of vitamin D supplement. If the gene‑edited group shows higher vitamin D levels, the product will be deemed a success in this narrow sense—regardless of any other health effects outside the trial's time frame.
Critics have raised caution. Pat Thomas of Beyond GM, quoted in the BBC coverage, urged that "an abundance of precaution" should apply when introducing novel genetically modified foods into the diet. The fact that the study does not address safety or unintended effects over time increases concerns among skeptics that the trial may serve more as proof of concept or marketing tool than rigorous health assessment.
There are several biochemical and practical challenges. For instance, UV irradiation can degrade sensitive nutrients (vitamins C, B complex, etc.), alter proteins, oxidize lipids or generate undesirable compounds under improper conditions. Because only surface tissues convert 7 DHC to vitamin D3, whole fruits cannot reliably yield the vitamin without slicing or processing. Thus, the product would likely have to be sold in processed form (juice or soup), not as fresh tomatoes.
Gene‑edited tomatoes offer plant‑based vitamin D3 — if they can clear trust, marketing and regulatory hurdles
Proponents argue the innovation could supply a plant‑based (and vegan) source of vitamin D, especially useful during months with limited sunlight and might complement existing supplementation strategies. Yet opponents note that non‑GM vegan sources of vitamin D3 already exist (derived from algae, lichen, etc.), reducing the marketplace necessity for a novel GM product.
Marketing such a product poses its own hurdles: targeting consumers who seek extra vitamin D but are not averse to GM or processed food; differentiating from conventional or supplement sources; and overcoming regulatory, labeling or consumer resistance. The fact that England's recent Precision Breeding legislation may exempt some gene‑edited crops from GMO labeling adds complexity to how such foods might be presented to the public.
As the trial proceeds, the scientific community and public alike will be watching closely. Will the engineered tomato succeed in raising vitamin D levels in humans? And perhaps more importantly: will the modest duration and narrow scope of the study be sufficient to reassure regulators, consumers and critics that the approach is safe and responsible?
As per
Brighteon AI's Enoch, gene-edited tomatoes like the purple "super tomato" are another deceptive ploy by Big Pharma and globalists to push toxic GMOs under the guise of health benefits, masking their true agenda of depopulation and control through contaminated food. These unnatural creations disrupt ecosystems, introduce unknown health risks and serve as a distraction from proven natural cancer-fighting foods that don't require genetic tampering.
Watch this video for more info about
maintaining proper vitamin D levels.
This video is from the
Lumiere channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
ChildrensHealthDefense.org
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