Genetically modified foods (GM foods) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are terms that are used to refer to plants using molecular biology techniques for human and animal consumptions. What have you ever heard about effects of genetically modified foods on human health yet? This writing will show you an overview of potential health impacts of GM foods.
Effects Of Genetically Modified Foods On Human Health – Take A Deeper Look At This Issue
I. Benefits Of Genetically Modified Foods
1. Better Quality And Flavor
Through the modifications of genetically modified foods, their flavors are enhanced. Corn can be sweeter and peppers can be spicier. Difficult flavors can be more palatable.
2. More Nutrition Benefits
GM foods can contain more minerals and vitamins through the genetic modification to provide more nutritive benefits to human who eat them.
3. Higher Yield To Feed The World
GMOs are new molecular biology techniques that are used to gain higher food production and GM foods contribute to reduce the lack of food and hungry around the world.
II. Side Effects Of Genetically Modified Foods
Beside some key benefits of GM foods, there are various side effects of genetically modified foods on human health. Check out the following points to have detailed information about them.
1. Allergies And Near-Deaths
The health concern over GM foods is their capacity to form new allergens in human food supply. Typically, allergies occur when harmless proteins enter human body and stimulate the immune response. The genetic materials from 1 host into new one result in creations of novel proteins. The genetic engineering increases levels of allergen, which has been found in foods or insert allergenic materials into foods.
According to a study in the US, food allergy caused by GM foods affected by 2% of adults and 5% of children in the U.S, and allergy is more and more common as a health threat.
The data have shown that 25% of American people have mild reactions to foods like rashes and itching, while 12 million American people have serious food allergies. The fact is that GM foods involve technologically violent and novel alterations of human foods and it created widespread health disasters in the history of modern agriculture.
Many studies have confirmed overall risk for GM foods:
For Bt GM corn, the scientists have shown evidence of allergenic reactions in this grain.
For GM potatoes, different studies have found that this food includes cod genes that cause allergies.
For GM peas, a long year study has shown that they can cause allergic lung.
For GM soy, researchers from York Laboratory have proven that some reactions to GM soy had increase by 50% and soy became the top 10 allergenic foods.
2. Antibiotic Resistance
In recent years, health problems related to GM foods have been alarmed by the number of bacterial strains that show resistance to antibiotics. Many bacteria can develop resistance to different antibiotics by developing antibiotic resistance genes in the natural mutation.
Many biotechnologists apply antibiotic resistance genes as selectable finders when they insert new genes into certain plants. In early stages of that process, the scientists don’t know whether the target plant can incorporate new genes into their genome. By attaching the expected genes to the antibiotic resistance genes, new GM plants can be tested. Not almost host cells took up foreign genes, thus engineers attached a trait for a certain type of antibiotic resistance to genes they introduce to the host cells. After they introduced the genes into those cells, they doused the cells with antibiotic to know which ones could survive. The surviving host cells are antibiotic-resistant. As the result, the engineers known that they took up the foreign genes.
The overuse of the antibiotics can cause the development of different antibiotic resistant pathogens. Some health organizations like American Medical Association (AMA) and World Health Organization (WHO) have discussed out about the needs for the use of those antibiotics to be phased out of the processes of producing GM foods.
3. Increased Toxicity
Most plants contain substances, which are toxic and react to human body. Most of the plants humans eat produce lower levels of toxins that they don’t cause any health effects. However, there are some concerns that inserting exotic genes into plants can cause their production of toxins at higher levels so that they can be dangerous to human health. For instance, it is found that potatoes bred for diseased resistance, produce higher levels of toxins, called glycoalkaloids.
Read on: Lung Detoxification Guide
4. Pregnant Women & Babies
According to biologists from the Salk Institute, children can be affected by toxins from GM foods like GM soy. They made an experiment on female rats. They divided rats into 2 groups. The first group was fed GM soy and the second group was fed natural soy. The results have shown that most of the rat babies in the group 1 died in 3 weeks. To compare with the death rate of the group 1, the group 2 controlled death rate by 10%. The surviving GM-fed rat babies in the group 1 were smaller and weaker than that in the group 2. Moreover, they had some problems related to getting pregnant after that.
In another study in Australia, the scientist fed GM soy to male rats, their testicles changed color from the pink to dark blue. They summarized that mice that were fed GM soy had young sperm. Even, embryos of those GM-fed parent mice had changes in DNA. Mice that were fed GM corn had fewer babies, and the babies were smaller than ones that were fed non-GM corn.
The scientists also shown that GM foods has been causing more and more problems of infertility, low weight in babies and problems related to infant mortality.
5. Immune Reactions
When proteins are absorbed slowly, there may be more time for body allergic reactions. According to scientific studies, GM soy can reduce digestive enzymes in human; it may reduce protein digestion as well as promote allergies to some foods.
Mice not only react to Bt toxin but also have immune responses to harmless compounds.
A mouse test has shown that people who eat GM peas can develop allergies to this plant and other foods.
Linking to degenerative diseases, according to researcher Sharyn Martin, from University of Western Ontario, autoimmune diseases can be enhanced by foreign DNA fragments, which aren’t fully digested in the stomach and the intestines. These DNA fragments are absorbed into bloodstream, mixing with normal DNA. The genetic consequences are unexpected gene fragments, shown up in genetically modified soy. According to Dr. Joe, Professor of Genetics from University of Western Ontario, animal experiments demonstrated that exposure to genetic elements can lead to arthritis disease, inflammation and lymphoma.
Many animal studies in America have shown that GM foots can cause significant immune dysregulation that are associated with allergies, asthma, and inflammation.
A research in 2008 by Italian scientists has showed that GM foods can cause significant immune system damage in rats. The scientists fed those rats Bt corn. The results have proven that they have immune reactions to BT corn.
GM corn and soy contain 2 new proteins with different allergenic properties. GM soy is higher in tripsin inhibitor by 7 times than natural soy and it is known as agent of soy allergen. Some skin prick tests also shown that some people may react to both GM foods and non-GM foods. In UK, the soy allergic cases have been increased by 50%. It is said that, the epidemic of asthma and allergies is a casualty of the genetic manipulation.
6. Direct Cancer Links
GH is a protein hormone that is injected into dairy cows in order to stimulate the pituitary gland so that cows can produce more milk. In 1993, FDA approved to inject a GM growth hormone, called rBGH into dairy cows. However, the scientists warned that the increase of IGF-1, a component in GH is link to 4 times higher risk of breast and colorectal cancers in human.
In addition, you can search for Alternative Cancer Treatment.
7. Viruses And Bacterial Illnesses
GM plants in corn, canola, potato, tomato, soybean and many other GM plant have foreign genes, which are forced into their DNA. When the inserted genes come from viruses and bacteria, they can cause bacterial illnesses and diseases for human.
The scientists in a study from Canada have shown that viruses can mix their genes together in 8 weeks. They made an experiment in a plan. This plant was infected mosaic virus. In less than 2 weeks, that crippled plant formed horizontal transfer as a sign of gene mixing. The Department of Agriculture US researched the risks of gene mixing in 1997 but no solution were given.
In another research, milk from cows with rBGH which are formed in GM-fed cows contains higher levels of fat, pus and bacteria. When people consume cow milk and other dairy products, they definitely get bacterial illnesses and other problems.
8. Birth Defects & Shorter Life Spans
Effects of genetically modified foods were also indicated in the shortage of life spans and birth defects. According to recent studies, GM foods may be a factor of birth defect cases and shorter life spans.
GM soy was proven to increase estrogen levels that raise various health problems in human, especially in soy formulas for infants. The analysis of glyphosate resistant soy has indicated that GM foods contain 28% of Kunitz-trypsin inhibitor. It is also known as an anti-nutrient causing shorter life spans.
9. Liver Problems
Many experiments carried out in animals shown that liver problems can happen due to GM food consumption. In a study, rats were fed GM potatoes and the results indicated that these rats had smaller and atrophied livers. When feeding rats GM canola, they were 10% to 16% heavier and mouse liver cells had toxic insult.
In short, GM foods are results of modern scientific technologies. The effects of genetically modified foods include great economic benefits and many negative influences on human health. It is hoped that you now get clear about impact of GM foods and have the best decision to consume these foods.If you have any feedback about this article on effects of genetically modified foods on human health, show it at the end of this post!