GMO Foods, also known as a genetically modified organism, is a plant or living creature whose DNA has been altered using modern bioengineering techniques. This is done in a laboratory by transferring the genes of one organism to the genes of another, usually unrelated ones. The result is improved DNA, which allows the plant’s fruits to have special physical properties, ripen faster, and be resistant to pests.
A striking example of this is the seemingly perfect apples that have “forgotten” how to darken when cut, giant strawberries, and seedless watermelons. But is it all so harmless? Why do some countries prohibit GMOs by law, or at least require them to be labeled, while others do not? Can their appearance be considered a sign of creative scientific progress? And are such organisms safe in general? Today, at How to Green, we will introduce you to facts that will certainly improve your awareness of these very important issues.
Until recently, GMOs were not so well-known. This is because they became known to global agriculture only in the 1990s and for a long time were used mainly to grow corn and soybeans for feeding livestock and poultry. Later, rapeseed and sugar beet were added to them, after which GMOs began to be actively used in the production of ingredients for popular types of processed (packaged) food. Such as chips, sweets, cookies, breakfast cereals, meat products, and much more. Well, in recent years, popular types of fruits and vegetables that end up on store shelves in their whole (unprocessed) state have also begun to undergo genetic modification.
Even though GMOs are available almost everywhere, there has not yet been a single (!) comprehensive and long-term study of their impact on human health. Studying the carcinogenicity of something requires serious resources and time, while GMOs are still almost a novelty. At the same time, small and independent studies have been conducted, but only on laboratory animals. It is also worth noting that the scientific reports that receive wide coverage are mainly those financed by the GMO industry itself.
If harm to humans is not proven, where does public disagreement come from? The fact is that many GMO advocates equate their production with selective breeding, which farmers have used for centuries. However, there is still a difference between these methods, and it is quite significant.
Traditional breeding uses natural principles to create new species of plants and animals (something like accelerated evolution). To do this, the best of them or those with certain desired qualities are selected, after which they are crossed. In this case, nature is solely responsible for the final result.
In the case of bioengineering, foreign genes are introduced in a way that nature itself would never have ordered. In this case, genes can be taken from bacteria, viruses, insects, and even mammals. Therefore, GMOs created in laboratories have very original genetic structures and require serious individual safety testing.
What are the other pros and cons of GMOs, and products containing them, and what does science say about them?
Benefits of Popular Genetically Modified Crops
- Resistance to pests, and therefore reduced use of chemicals for spraying.
- Resistance to herbicides – chemicals used to kill weeds.
- Significantly higher yields. Proponents of the GMO movement (usually companies that produce genetically modified corn and soybean seeds) believe that this is the only sustainable way to feed the world’s rapidly growing population.
- Adaptability to adverse weather conditions and climates with cold and drought.
- Disease resistance: For example, up to 75% of papayas grown in Hawaii have had their DNA altered to develop immunity to the common ringspot virus.
- Improving the taste and physical qualities of products.
- The ability to adjust the nutritional properties of plants – increasing their protein, vitamins, or minerals. Thus, scientists from Switzerland managed to develop a rice variety with increased beta-carotene content.
- Increased shelf life, which allows food supplies to be made even to the most remote corners of the planet.
Along with this, there are also not-so-rosy facts about GMOs. Among them, not numerous yet, but very convincing data indicating that the use of GMOs can pose a serious threat to human health.
Potential health hazards of GMOs
- Allergies
According to experts, the transfer of allergenic proteins from one organism to another makes the new GMO Foods also allergenic. Thus, there is a known case of genetic modification of soybeans with the addition of a gene from the Brazil nut, which, when tested, caused allergic reactions in people sensitive to the nut.
- Antibiotic resistance
This acquired property of pathogenic bacteria allows them to resist the effects of medicinal drugs, greatly complicating recovery. In bioengineering, antibiotic-resistant genes are often used. Opponents of GMOs consider this practice dangerous and associate it with the growth of superbugs resistant to antibiotics.
- Little known viruses
When creating GMOs, new genetic material is introduced into the cell nucleus along with a virus, which triggers the new gene to act. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly how such viruses behave when they enter the human body, and whether they lead to abnormal changes.
- Infertility
With the support of the Russian Academy of Sciences, our compatriot Ermakova I. V. conducted a study that examined several generations of laboratory rats that were fed a product with GMOs. The results were disappointing: the reproductive capacity of each new generation of animals decreased, smaller babies were born, and by the third generation, all females were sterile.
- Cancer and premature death
A similar study conducted by European scientists found that the mortality rate of animals that consumed GMO feed was 5-6 times higher. At the same time, females often developed cancerous tumors of the reproductive organs, while males developed liver cancer. Experts expressed the opinion that the cause could be, among other things, carcinogenic substances used to destroy weeds in the fields where GMO crops are grown.
And even if there is no direct evidence of harm from GMOs to human health, there are many ethical problems associated with the emergence of this multi-billion dollar market. For example, the production of genetically modified seeds is carried out by several of the richest corporations, which can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Their contracts oblige farmers to buy new batches from them every year, prohibiting the use of seeds from harvests. And along with them, they are forced to buy special chemicals against weeds, because their soybeans and corn are resistant exclusively to them.
The obvious interest and “opacity” of the food industry, which widely uses GMO Foods, also known as a genetically modified organism, is a plant or living creature whose DNA has been altered using modern bioengineering techniques. ingredients in the production of many processed products, also raises questions. For example, in the US, large food corporations have been noted for multi-million dollar funding of the lobby against the introduction of labeling of GMO products.
The public is also concerned about the decline of the genetic diversity of plants created by nature. At the same time, the widespread cultivation of only a few species of important agricultural crops threatens the survival of all mankind if plants suddenly become susceptible to a previously unknown disease that wipes out all crops overnight.
Finally, it is hard not to note that many poor countries that actively grow and consume GMOs have essentially become participants in a reality study on the long-term impact of GMOs on human health, which is clearly a serious ethical issue.
Genetic engineering does not stand still. By now, it has practically “swallowed up” the world’s corn, soybean, and sugar beet crops, and wheat, potatoes, rice, and salmon are on the way. This is even though the topic of GMOs remains extremely controversial and requires scientific justification. And there are definitely reasons to worry about the potential multifaceted harm of GMOs…
