Genetically Modified Food and Cancer: Myth or Science - Essay Example

Genetically Modified Food and Cancer Myth or Science Introduction Technology in the food industry and genetics have landed us in yet another controversy regarding the use of genetically modified food. With the invention and wide user of high tech instruments such as the polymerase chain reaction machine/thermo-cycler and the blotting techniques it is possible to induce mutations onto plant cells and hence come up with new organisms/plants which have a totally different genetic configuration from that of the parent. This has been a new technique in genetic engineering which has been applied as a way of improving on the qualities of individual organisms by inducing other genes from other organisms which give it better traits either in quick growth or on defence against pathogens which destroy it. This essay will try to establish the facts surrounding the controversial issue and use the results from studies conducted on various organisms to support our argument. It shall be therefore important to introduce a few concepts regarding organisms’ genetic make-up and the number of chromosomes that they have so as to see the results of the genetic engineering techniques induced and the possible effects they could be having as they are alleged to be a risk factor in the increased cancer cases across the globe. Cancer It is hard to link the issue of genetically modified foods with cancer unless we understand how cancer occurs. Cancer is a group of disorders which involve the presence of unregulated cell growth. The formation of malignant tumours seen in cancer is as a result of the cell multiplication after division which occurs uncontrollably in the region or organ involved. The predisposing factors for cancer are ranging and partially understood. This is why the issue of genetically modified foods standing as a predisposing factor to causing cancer is highly disputed. On one hand, the nutritionists have been alleging that due to the modification of the genetic constitution of the organism the same could be impacted on the end user therefore causing cancer. Results of Studies Done in this Field There have been a number of studies and tests done using the genetically modified food products to establish the real effects on human. However, due to the statutes and rights that govern the medical field, it is not possible to use human as specimen so rats have been used instead. The rats were fed on a full time diet of some best-selling brand of genetically modified corn. Though a number of scientists have disregarded the study claiming it is baseless, let us look at the results obtained that could give a limelight to what awaits humans in the use of the genetically modified food products. According to Poulter, 2012, who reported on the results of the study, the rats which were fed on a lifelong diet of the genetically modified corn developed tumours and majority of their organs stopped functioning in the right way. This study was done by French scientists. The control set up was done by other rats which were fed on normal meals that were not genetically modified. Among the rats that were fed on the genetically modified corn, an average of 65 per cent of them were found to have developed tumours by the 24th month. However, only about 30th of the ones that were fed on the normal diet were found to have developed the tumours (Poulter, web). Seventy per cent of the females which were fed with the genetically modified food died before they reached maturity while only twenty per cent of the control group died before reaching the maturity age. Another notable difference was on the size of the tumours. The size of the tumours in the rats fed with the genetically modified food had tumours thrice as big as the ones that were not fed with the food that had been genetically modified. The tumours that developed in the rats in the control group occurred at fourteen months of age compared to the seven months in the other group. The deaths caused were due to the tumours forming being so large that they prevented the rats from breathing. This study caused much controversy in the scientific field as to whether the tumours were caused by the consumption of the genetically modified food and whether it was possible for the same effect to be seen in humans. Parallel tests have therefore been conducted in various countries but they are yet to come to a conclusive resolution. However, the use of the genetically modified foods continues to be unpopular in the European countries while the same are being consumed by quite a significant number of people in America. Scientists have argued that the genetically modified foods are safe and therefore not able of inducing cancer to humans whether eaten raw or as cooked. In production of the genetically modified corn, the genes and the chromosomes are altered and the final product added some genes which make it grow faster than the normal maize and also produce more. The consumption of genetically modified foods has been faced with resistance from so many people due to its linking with cancer. Cancer is a serious disease which becomes more deadly if the tumours are not detected in the early stages. The genetically modified foods contains the molecules of life responsible for the growth of an organism. This include carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. Once they are ingested they go through the gut and their destination is the various organs which include the liver which maintain the levels of the various molecules such as glucose. The rest such as the amino acids which are the end products of protein metabolism are used up in the repairing of the various body organs and also in growth. The nutritionists who have been in the fore front to counter the use of the genetically modified food have argued that since the mutations induced on the genetically modified organisms are permanent, the humans will react by forming systems which try to metabolise the new foods. Furthermore, the end products could also alter the normal division of cells within the organisms that consume them and end up forming malignant tumours which can cause their death. This claim has been supported by the research done using the rats as they were found to be more susceptible to the formation of the malignant tumours when they were fed the GM corn unlike the others which were fed the normal corn (Edwards). They fear that though the scientists working on the project have been unable to form a consensus on the effects of the same on humans, the same results were within the scope of results that can be expected. This has left the genetic engineers who try to be as careful as possible while producing the foods at cross roads on whether to continue on the project which will face a similar resistance once the foods are introduced in the market. Consumer’s Concern The introduction of the genetically modified foods in the market was facilitated by the need to have foods that can be grown faster and in the regulated conditions that are offered. Such plants which yield the foods are taken and then using blotting techniques and electrophoresis it is possible to identify the specific genes that needs to be removed. In other cases the normal meiosis process which involves the formation of the gamete cells that will form the seeds is inhibited and so non-disjunction occurs in the end seeds. This causes trisomy and hence improving production of the plants. However, majority of this new plants are infertile and so that raises the question whether the consumption of the same by humans can cause us to go sterile too. The publicity that was done by the media on the issue also made it to flip off its dimensions and it was impossible to regain the consumers’ trust on the products after that. This makes the genetically modified foods to be feared a lot, not necessarily because of the effects that they can cause but by the speculation that has been made to surround the whole issue. Conclusion The issue of introducing the genetically modified foods into the market has been a burning issue in the last few years. The same has been linked to causing cancer which has made many consumers to avoid it. The tests that have been made in the study have tried to establish the effects that they can cause to humans but due to the fact they used rats in the study, scientists have been fast to rubbish the results (Adams). At the moment the whole issue is being judged on speculation but in the near future it may be possible to either establish the truth or forget the genetically modified foods. Cited Works Adams, M. (n.d). GMO Corn Linked to Cancer Tumours. Nature News. Web. Available at. Edwards, R. (n.d). Eating GM Food Could Give You Cancer, Says Scientist. Sunday Herald. Web. Available at. Poulter, S. (September, 2012). Cancer Row over GM Food as Study Says it Affected Rats.Web. Available at. Read More