GMO Food
Recently, the amount of debates over the genetically modified food dramatically increased. Some people even become obsessed with picking up only GMO-free products.
This situation played into the hands of our producers. In order to increase their sales, they put label “GMO-Free” even on the inedible goods. Take the toilet paper and shampoo for example. First of all, we have to understand what GMO is. According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, a GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process, where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Because this involves the transfer of genes, GMOs are also known as “transgenic” organisms (“The GE process”, 2014).
The pro-GMO scientists claim that this invention will save us from starvation in the future because it is anticipated that the population will continue growing, and we will face the extreme shortage of the foodstuff in the short run.
So, the researchers are doing their best to protect the plantations from pests, diseases, and to prolong the shelf-life of the ready-to-use products. For example, the gene from the flounder was inserted into the tomatoes in order to make them frost-resistant. The cabbage and corn were poisoned with scorpion venom in order to make them uninteresting for beetles. Pigs were given spinach gene to reduce the fat in their meat. Some kind of soil microorganism was transferred into the potato to protect it from Colorado beetle. Thanks to the hard work of the scientists, the cultivators can also grow plants with extra vitamins and minerals.
All these changes help the fruits last longer, spare the time of the farmers and make the prices for food much lower. There are also a lot of fruits that become juicier, softer, and can grow even during the cold weather after having their genes altered. Although, it is not proved that eating such fruits can somehow harm our health, the incidence of allergy after eating them is higher than after eating the ordinary fruits or vegetables. Moreover, the scientists have announced the number of other side effects of the genetically modified products. And after having a look at the list of them, the risk of allergy seems to be the most innocent one.
One of the main worries of the researchers is the possibility of the human body to develop resistance to antibiotics because some of those that are used in GM crops are also used to treat a number of illnesses.
The second worry is that the regular consuming of mixed genes can result in further mutations in our cells, thus leading to dire consequences in the near future.
The research in Canada found some interrelation between consuming GM food and obstetric-gynecological disorders or even infertility. Another study has discovered that an autoimmune disorder can be the consequence of the presence of GMO in our products, and the number of all gluten-related disorders has increased due to the same fact (Walia, 2014).
There are also studies that are currently being conducted to prove or disprove the correlation between GM food and:
– The babies delivered with hereditary or congenital birth defects;
– developing such diseases as an Autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, depression, weight gain and cancer. (Walia, 2014)
All these studies are active and argumentative, because there are a lot of people on opposite sides of the fence, and no one is going to step back. It is also not a good choice to use pesticides, because if these chemicals are able to kill small living organisms, it means that it can affect our health as well.
Despite all these negative assumptions, the scientists continue looking for the right gene to make fish grow faster and bigger. They use different approaches to improving the resistance of yields against droughts and extreme temperatures, and try to make vaccines more productive by including to them the animals’ and plants’ genes. (“Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foods”, 2014)
As we can see, this question has not been thoroughly studied yet. So, in my opinion, our researchers have to explore this new technology even more deeply and try to find more natural ways to increase crop yields and to protect them from pests.
Works cited:
1. “The GE Process”. Institute for Responsible Technology. 2014. Web. Accessed 15 Jan 2016.
2. Arjun Walia. “10 Scientific Studies Proving GMOs Can Be Harmful To Human Health”. 2014. Web. Accessed 15 Jan 2016.
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/comment-page-1/
3. “Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foods” . World Health Organization. 2014. Web. Accessed 15 Jan 2016.
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/Frequently_asked_questions_on_gm_foods.pdf