More Recent Comments

Friday, June 26, 2009

Swine Flu Is Caused by French Fries

 
According the a report from Russia, the current swine flue pandemic is caused by genetically modified potatoes that are sold as French Fries in many Western industrialized nations [Russian Scientists Warn Of Genetically Modified Fast Food Link To Pandemic Flu].
Scientists from Russia’s Ministry of Health are warning in a secret report to Prime Minister Putin that they have discovered a ‘critical link’ between the H1N1 influenza (Swine Flu) virus and genetically modified amylopectin potatoes that are consumed in massive quantities nearly exclusively by Westerners and sold in fast food restaurants as French Fries.

According to these reports, the protease enzyme genetically modified in the potatoes being sold through Western fast food restaurants as French Fries to protect against Potato virus X causes an “explosive” replication of the H1N1 influenza virus by increasing the acidic conditions of the endosome and causing the hemagglutinin protein to rapidly fuse the viral envelope with the vacuole's membrane, then causing the M2 ion channel to allow protons to move through the viral envelope and acidify the core of the virus, which causes the core to dissemble and release the H1N1’s RNA and core proteins into the hosts cells.

Evidence confirming these dire findings by top Russian scientists is also supported by the World Health Organization who in their reporting on the current Influenza Pandemic, clearly shows that the H1N1 virus is nearly totally confined to those Western Nations allowing their citizens to consume these genetically modified potatoes, and which include: The United States with over 17,000 cases being reported with 45 deaths; Canada with 2,978 cases; the United Kingdom with 1,226 cases; and Australia with 1,823 cases.
This is very troubling. I'd like to be an accommodationist and pretend that the Russian kooks scientists are every bit as good as real scientists in other countries. On the other hand, my scientific instincts lead me to postulate that the claim is not very scientific and should be assigned to the urban legend category.

I'm in a quandary over whether I should believe this or not. We need the Russians as allies but we also need the French. Seems like one of them is going to be offended.



14 comments :

waldteufel said...

I wonder if the ghost of Lysenko is lurking about . . . . . . .

Anonymous said...

I don’t care if it’s bad science or not. If that photograph is what Russian French fries actually look like then I don’t want any either. Gag me with a spoon!

The Vicar said...

I find this suspect. If you'll read closely, you'll see that it doesn't say that the WHO agrees with their hypothesis -- it says that the WHO agrees that the bulk of cases are confined to countries in which GM potatoes are used. Correlation != causation; the bulk of crocodile attacks occur within 300 miles of kangaroos, but that doesn't mean that kangaroos cause crocodiles to attack. After all, Mexico had a much higher infection (and fatality) level than the U.S., but I suspect that the potato consumption per capita is much, much lower.

This sounds very much like someone wanted to blame GM foods, and said "what sort of sequence could make a chemical only present in a GM species cause fatality via flu virus?" And worked backwards. (And, incidentally, I'm an anti-GM food person myself, and buy organic whenever possible. I'm just skeptical of smoking guns.)

DK said...

Umm, you do realize that your assessment of Russian scientists is based on an unconfirmed news release by - of all reliable sources - Macedonian International News Agency ? The report that cites a sekrit report without any other sources - all the while hopelessly confusing different GMO potato cultivars?

Anonymous said...

Hi,

We have just added your latest post "Sandwalk: Swine Flu Is Caused by French Fries" to our Food Directory . You can check the inclusion of the post here . We are delighted to invite you to submit all your future posts to the directory for getting a huge base of visitors to your website and gaining a valuable backlink to your site.


Warm Regards

foodnrecipes.info Team

http://www.foodnrecipes.info

Unknown said...

I thought the PC term was now "Freedom Fries". So how can the French take offense?

Unknown said...

The title should be: Freedom Fries Cause Swine Flu.

Devin said...

If that photograph is what Russian French fries actually look like then I don’t want any either. Gag me with a spoon!

Shame on you! That's a poutine!

386sx said...

Thank you foodnrecipes for adding the swine flu recipe. Glad to see you are paying attention.

Paul said...

Any idea how much of said enzyme survives the preparation of the fries?? E.g. is it heat stable, etc.? If so, is it plausible it could make it into an endosome w/ a virus particle AND cause these claimed pH changes? Seems like other enzymes in foods or simply eating acidic food could have the same effect?

Is this variety of potato common in Mexico where the epidemic began??

Anonymous said...

> Shame on you! That's a poutine!

That's not Vladimir Poutine. Don't be so silly.

Anonymous said...

And I though we northern English had bad diet until I tasted poutine. There is a plaque in my heart that will always be Canadian.

Anonymous said...

Did I miss something... Who grows GM potatoes???

Australia definitely doesn't so that ruins that (incredibly well thought through) claim.

Ironically I think the Russians are the only ones working on GM potatoes now, since McDonalds said they wouldn't use them I don't think anyone in the US or Canada has grown them either.

Anonymous said...

I believe it. GMO foods are horrible for immune systems.