Genetically Modified Foods and Human Health - Research Paper Example

 Genetically Modified Foods and Human Health Introduction Genetically modified foods refer commonly to plants developed for animal and human consumption using molecular biology technology. The plants are modified in the laboratories to enhance desired characteristics such as drought resistance or nutritional content. The enhancement has been achieved through breeding and genetic engineering (Whitman 1). The world population has always been increasing past the food supply, genetically modified foods are meant to close the gap between food supply and human consumption. The main benefits of this technology are greater crop production with less labor and energy input, and reduction in the utilization of pesticides and drought resistant crops (Blanchfield 28). All these are geared towards promoting food security. However, genetically modified foods have raised great debate in the recent past over their impact on human health. The two main areas of concern are risk to human health and risk to the environment. This paper seeks to look at the health benefits of genetically modified foods and also the disadvantages of these foods. Health benefits of Genetically Modified Foods Increasing Food Production Pathogens, herbivorous insects, and parasites have significantly reduced crop yields all over the world. Given the fact that the population is increasing, traditional crops cannot sustain the world population because of the above threats. GM crops have been introduced to help abate this problem. Examples of crops grown in this case are virus resistant genetically modified papaya and insect resistant crops having Bacillus thuringiensis gene. This has been successful in the United States; insect resistant GM maize is grown on an area of about 10.6 million hectares and represents 35 percent of all the maize grown in the country. The resistance has also been enhanced to include bacterial and fungal pathogens. With reduction in crop loss due to pathogens, insects and parasites, more yields can be achieved and this can reduce malnutrition (Key, Ma and Drake 292). Another issue that has caused reduction in the crop yields is abiotic stress which includes low or high temperatures, drought, and salinity. It is projected that in the coming years these losses will increase due decline in water resources and desertification. Salinity and drought are expected to increase salinization of arable lands. This calls for adoption of new technology that will ensure there is crop survival. There have been attempts to produce abiotic stress resistant genetically modified foods. However, there has been no break through yet and the research is still at laboratory level. Increasing Nutritional Content In developed nations nutrition is not a problem, however, in underdeveloped countries malnutrition is a common phenomenon because many people rely on one crop as a staple food. This crop, let us say rice, may lack all the necessary nutrients. If rice could be genetically modified to contain the minerals and vitamins, then nutrient deficiency would greatly be reduced. An example of such an undertaking is the ‘Golden Rice Project’. In this project Vitamin A was genetically engineered into rice. Lack of vitamin A is common among the developing world and it is estimated that it accounts for 2 million children mortality annually (Key, Ma and Drake 292). It also causes blindness in the children who survive. Humans are able to synthesize these vitamins from carotene commonly found in many plants but not cereals. In the Golden rice project, rice was genetically engineered to contain moderate levels of carotene. Researchers have since then developed high yielding rice. Golden rice was introduced to help farmers in poor countries at no cost. This technology is a good example of health solution given by genetically modified foods. Human Health Risks There are some health risks that have been associated with genetically modified foods, this include allergies and the unknown effects. The unknown effects are the effects which have not been proved or that lacks scientific prove. Allergy; Many consumers of GM foods in Europe and USA have developed dangerous allergies. It is suspected that introduction of a new gene into a plant may cause some allergic reaction in some individuals. A suggestion to include a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was discarded fearing unexpected allergic reactions. This calls for extensive testing of genetically modified foods to ensure that food allergies do not threaten the life of consumers. Unknown effects on Human Health: There have been several studies and publications that have criticized the usage of GM foods. Some of these publications have not been backed with scientific research. These researches have been criticized for being biased. However, there is still growing concern over introducing foreign genes into food plants. A study was carried out on rats that were fed with GM potatoes. The researchers concluded that there was marked difference in the intestines of rats fed on GM potatoes and those fed on unmodified foods. However, critics to this research claim it does not hold any scientific proof. They further argue that the gene introduced in the potato was a snowdrop flower lectin, this substance is known to be harmful to mammals (Whitman 7). Genetically Modified Foods and the Environment Any negative effect that the GM crops may have on the environment may indirectly affect the human health. The main concerns that have been raised about genetically modified foods and the environment including the GM plants may themselves become invasive weeds, cross pollination may cause GM plants to hybridize non-GM plants, and conditions necessary to grow GM plants may affect wildlife populations. In the year 2001, a study presented evidence that GM genes from GM maize had contaminated wild maize through cross pollination in Mexico. These findings were disputed and later researches did not provide any evidence of trans-gene spread (Key, Ma and Drake 294). Another publication also reported that GM herbicide-resistant creeping bent-grass planted in Oregon, spread 3.8 km away from the cultivation area. The researchers claimed that this was due to GM cross seed dispersal and pollen sexual crossing. In 1999, a study showed that GM maize was harmful to the Monarch butterfly larvae. They claimed that pollen from the maize caused the larvae to eat less, grow slowly, and have high death rates. However, other studies carried out to substantiate this study indicated that the pollen had insignificant effect on the larvae (Key, Ma and Drake 294) . The UK farm scale evaluation study was carried out to find out the effect of genetically modified herbicide on farm wildlife compared to traditional weed control. The study indicated that for the first three crops wildlife was reduced in GM fields in comparison to non-GM fields, but when this was carried out on maize the opposite happened. The researchers concluded that the reduction of wildlife was not due to GM crops but it was caused by the farmer using a different herbicide regime (Key, Ma and Drake 295). After looking at the merits and demerits of GMOs, it is important to look at whether GM crops are safe for human consumption. The next section looks at this issue. Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe for Human Health? There are several bodies that regulate GM crops. Examples of this include the European Food and Safety Authority, Food and drug agency, US department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspectorate among others. These bodies ensure full risk assessment of GM crops. Therefore, GM crops do undergo extensive safety assessment before going to the market. These foods have also been consumed by many people globally for more than 15 years but there have been no ill effects or legal suits. There has been little evidence to show that GM foods are potentially harmful (Malcom 69). Most of the studies that were carried out indicated that these foods are harmful were later disputed by the succeeding researches. Some researchers were also criticized for using a small population and overlooking other factors. The main criticism of genetically modified foods that to some extent has been proven is the allergic reactions in some individuals. This is due to introduction of a new gene in the crops. However, it is important to note that even non-genetically modified foods may have allergic effects on some individuals. Moreover GM engineering can be used to reduce levels of allergens present in some plants by reducing the relevant genes. Conclusion From the foregoing discussion it is important to consider the tradeoff between the benefits of genetically modified foods versus the criticisms. We cannot wholly claim that GM plants are safe for human consumption but I can assert that they are very necessary for human health. The critics of the GM have failed to provide concrete evidence as to why they oppose this technology. However, nothing should be taken for granted, it is important for researchers to carry out extensive research on these crops before approving them for human consumption. Government agencies should be aggressive in scrutinizing the GM crops in order to protect the citizens’ health. Works Cited Blanchfield, Rob. Genetically Modified Food Crops and Their Contribution to Human Nutrition and Food Quality. Journal of Food Science, 69, (1), 2004, pp28-30. Key, Suzie, Ma, Julian and Drake, Pascal. Genetically Modified Plants and Human Health. J R Social Medicine Journal. 101, (1), 2008, pp290-298. Malcom, Allan. Health Risks of Genetically Modified Food. The Lancet Journal, 354, (1), 1999, pp69-70. Whitman, Deborah. Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? USA: CSA, 2008. Print Read More