Advantages and dangers of genetically modified foods
Todaythere is some panic about the idea of GM foods, mainly because of the distrust they cause in the public. Information campaigns on this type of products have been scarce, which added to certain bad practices carried out by companies and farmers who worked with transgenics, has crystallized in a general rejection of these products.
As a general rule, people do not know exactly what a GM food is orwhat risks or benefits its consumption can bring them. In this article we will explain what GMOs are, their effect on health, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of products.
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What are GM foods?
Food contains DNA. Both ingredients of meat origin and those of plant origin are made of cells, the vast majority of them with a nucleus in which they contain DNA, which we consume naturally without this being any problem.
While there are organisms that can take advantage of the DNA of the food they eat, such asElysia chlorotica, a sea slug that adds part of the plant DNA it consumes, humans do not integrate the DNA of food into our cells.
Transgenic foods arethose that have had their genetic code modified in some waydirectly, such as by adding a gene they did not previously have. This can be used to introduce exciting new features to products, such as a reduced need for water or nutrients or improve their nutritional value, among many others.
This does not mean that the food we usually consume is “in its original form”, or that the unmodified food is better. In fact, some of the food we currently consume, such as some fruits and vegetables – for example, melon or strawberries – are far from the wilder or more traditional varieties in agriculture.
Many of the vegetables we consume today are genetically improved, much slower, ineffective and non-specific than we could with genetic engineering. Large numbers of random mutations occur in experimental plantations, to find possible new commercial plant varieties.
These mutant plants would bepotentially more dangerous than GMOs, because during the process of mutagenesis (usually carried out with radiation) they have more random mutations. But like any industrial product, several studies are carried out to ensure that its consumption does not present danger.
In summary, transgenic foods are those that have undergone some kind of specific change in the genetic code, with the express purpose of obtaining a better product, either economically, health-wise or simply of higher quality.
Examples of GM foods
GM foods are mostly plant-based. Its use is heavily regulated in the European Union, but certain varieties are still marketed, such as soybeans, cotton, corn or beets.
GMOs are marketed in both plant and seed form for cultivation. Through the genetic modification of food, for example, the following are obtained:
- Plant varieties more resistant to pests
- Herbicide resistance
- Crops growing in more adverse conditions
- Crops with higher nutritional value
A famous example of a GM food is the so-called “golden rice.” It is a variety of rice whose grain contains a much higher amount of vitamin A, which prevents deficiencies of this vitamin in populations that do not have easy access to it. They have even proposed transgenic plants that act as an edible vaccine, protecting us from certain infectious diseases.
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Are they bad for your health?
Let’s start by being clear: GM products that are marketed for consumption do not pose a health risk. Although they may produce substances that are not usual in their non-genetically modified forms, the introduction of a transgenic product to the market requires an assessment of its safety for the consumer, as in any other new product.
However, we must also qualify. Most GM crops, especially those of modified soybeans, are prepared to resist certain herbicides and pesticides, such as glyphosate. This means that a large part of GMOs today (about 90% of US GM soybeans) are exposed to high amounts of herbicides and pesticides, which are also not in very high consumer esteem.
The effects of pesticides on consumer health are not always clear, but in the quantities used in the field they represent a detriment to the health of farmers, people near the fields, and of course also to the environment. In fact, pesticide use has been linked both to the mass death of bee colonies, and even to the onset of autism in young children.
But it must be clear when we say no, transgenic foodsmerely because they are transgenicdo not pose a health risk, provided that a quality control has been fulfilled prior to their commercialization. The fact of modifying the DNA of an organism can cause many changes, but genetic engineering contemplates the possible effects that these can have on the consumer.
Problems and advantages of GM foods
The use of GMOscould reduce the need to use pesticidesand improve crop yields in a way that would have a lower environmental impact. They would be useful to combat diseases, famines or droughts, for example.
Even so, there are some real problems arising from the use of genetically modified crops. GMOs can pose an ecological threat, replacing unmodified varieties or invading nearby crops and ecosystems.
They also pose a socio-economic problem. Agricultural producers with more money can afford to use genetically modified crops, while more traditional farmers do not, which can cause greater economic inequality in the sector due to the inability to compete with an objectively better product.
As if this were not enough, there have already been cases of unfair competition practices between farmers, through the use of transgenics. If our neighbor grows glyphosate-resistant tomatoes but we don’t, we are very vulnerable to acts of sabotage such as fumigation of our unmodified crops.
These are problems that must be tackled through agricultural, ecological, economic and scientific policies. The potential impact on the health of the population, as well as the local economy and ecology, must be studied before the implementation of a genetically modified organism.
References
- Bakian Amanda V, VanDerslice James A. (2019) Pesticides and autism BMJ.
- Haslberger, A. (2003). Codex guidelines for GM foods include the analysis of unintended effects. Nature Biotechnology, 21(7), 739-741. doi:10.1038/NBT0703-739.
- Clark, D., & Pazdernik, N. (2016). Transgenic Plants and Plant Biotechnology. Biotechnology, 461-492. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-385015-7.00015-6.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.