I recently read about a letter 10 physicians sent to Columbia asking the university to remove Dr. Oz from his position as vice-chairman of the department of surgery.  Their complaint stated he “has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine.” They specifically mention his opposition to genetically engineered crops. Not surprisingly several of these doctors have been national proponents of genetically engineered crops which has shifted the focus away from Dr. Oz’s credibility as a physician to a fight between doctors over GMO’s. And I’d like to join.

I first heard about GMO’s in 1999 at an art exhibit. The gallery was on the second floor of a newly renovated building in Brooklyn. The exhibit felt like an art student’s senior thesis, and it might have been. I think I was there for the free wine. As I wondered around looking at the frightening collages on the walls-grotesque images of mutated corn swirling in a tornado of chemical symbols- I kept coming across these three letters. G-M-O. Finally I admitted my ignorance to the woman passing out the wine.

“Genetically Engineered Organisms,” she said, astonished. “You haven’t heard about them? They’re horrible. We’re all going to end up mutated and stuff.”

I was a medical student at the time and fascinated by science, especially genetic engineering. I was like a nuclear scientist before the bomb, filled with limitless expectations of  how this new technology would improve the world. I distinctly remember thinking how foolish this woman and the artist were to be scared of something that could only make things better.

I can’t remember when my feelings changed. There was never a Hiroshima-esque seminal moment to sway my opinion of GMO’s, although watching Food, Inc.  several years back was very influential. But even before then I was experiencing a profound shift in how I viewed the manipulation of food’s genetic code. And these ideas, just like Dr. Oz’s, were not based on science or evidence-based medicine.  Instead they came from my own life experience.

After years of practicing medicine in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States I’d seen my patients getting sicker and sicker.  I’d watched the average body size continue to expand and people present younger and younger with adult onset diabetes. Since childhood I’d heard my grandparents bemoan the lack of flavorful vegetables they remembered from their youth only to discover these amazing flavors by buying directly from organic farmers. Paying more attention to my diet made me realize how many processed, sugary and calorie laden foods I was eating, not to mention the average American. Its from my personal experience and the experience of my patients I’ve drawn my conclusions. Food science, especially the modification of sugars and fats, can be bad for you.

The wisest advice I’ve heard on the subject is to eat how your great-grandparents ate.  This makes a lot of sense. The human body has had tens of thousands of years to evolve in harmony with the natural food it ingests. Scientists haven’t had enough time to know all the consequences of the modern processed food diet on our health. So far it doesn’t look good. And to me, even though there is no negative scientific evidence about GMO’s, genetically engineered food fits in the category of food our great-grandparents did not eat.

Perhaps one day science will prove people like me and Dr. Oz right. Maybe not. But I’m not going to wait for science to reach the same verdict as my personal experience and beliefs. I’ll keep eating, as much as possible, the foods my ancestors would have recognized and hope the organic, whole foods movement continues to gain momentum and become affordable for all.