By Li Hongmei

Soy and corn, which were genetically modified, could be a reason behind 18 million Americans' intestinal disorders, says the new report by the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT).

"Gluten sensitivity can range in severity from mild discomfort, such as gas and bloating, to celiac disease, a serious autoimmune condition that can, if undiagnosed, result in a 4-fold increase in death," said Jeffrey M. Smith, executive director of IRT in a statement released on the Institute's website.

Smith cited how a "possible environmental trigger may be the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the American food supply, which occurred in the mid-1990s," describing the nine GM crops currently on the market.

In soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar from sugar beets, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya, and alfalfa, "Bt-toxin, glyphosate, and other components of GMOs, are linked to five conditions that may either initiate or exacerbate gluten-related disorders," according to Smith.

The report bases on data from the US Department of Agriculture, US Environmental Protection Agency records, medical journal reviews as well as international research.

The Institute's report cites that modified crops contain high levels of the toxin at harvest and GMO-related damage was linked to five different areas: Intestinal permeability, imbalanced gut bacteria, immune activation and allergic response, impaired digestion, and damage to the intestinal wall.