Introduction
Any organism which has its genetic sequence altered by insertion of a piece of foreign genetic material is considered to be a genetically modified organism, or simply, GMO. The recombinant DNA technology (or gene cloning) allows such modification by using enzymes that are naturally found in almost all organisms. A restriction enzyme is used to cut a specific DNA segment of a ‘donor’ genome and to generate sticky ends in the ‘host’ genome. The cut-up portion is then joined between the sticky sites by the help of a DNA ligase enzyme which stitches them together. Since its introduction in the field of biomedical sciences, the technique has been used for various purposes, which include but is not restricted to gene expression studies, functional analysis of a gene, disease modeling, and most importantly, amplification of useful protein products. The GMOs has been introduced in a variety of fields including drug development, agricultural and food biotechnology, industrial product manufacturing and culturing/modeling laboratory experiments.
Why GMOs
Genetically modified organisms provide novel intersections in the pathway elude the today’s society of diseases, poverty and hunger. Many scientists argue that these GMOs have been widely used in the process of drug development to prepare various pharmaceutically important drugs by formation of chimeric proteins. The two most significant examples include insulin and humanized immunoglobins (antibodies). The large scale insulin production has only been made possible by cloning the human insulin gene in bacteria to amplify the final product. This has made the ‘drug’ less expensive and thus, affordable for a common man in most of the countries. The humanized immunoglobins are th...
... middle of paper ...
...nsgenic maize NK603xMON810 fed in long term reproduction studies in mice. Unpublished report: Institute fur Ernahrung, Austria.
• Finamore, A., Roselli, M., Britti, S., Monastra, G., Ambra, R., Turrini, A., & Mengheri, E. (2008). Intestinal and peripheral immune response to MON810 maize ingestion in weaning and old mice. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 56(23), 11533-11539.
• De Vendômois, J. S., Roullier, F., Cellier, D., & Séralini, G. E. (2009). A comparison of the effects of three GM corn varieties on mammalian health. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 5(7), 706.
• Snell, C., Bernheim, A., Bergé, J. B., Kuntz, M., Pascal, G., Paris, A., & Ricroch, A. E. (2012). Assessment of the health impact of GM plant diets in long-term and multigenerational animal feeding trials: a literature review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50(3), 1134-1148.
Kramkowska, Marta, Teresa Grzelak, and Krystyna Czyżewska. “Benefits and risks associated with genetically modified food products.” Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine. 2013. Web. 6 May. 2014.
Van Eenennaam, Alison L. "GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations." Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 4 (2013): 37. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Genetically modified foods affect humans’ health by weakening the immunologic system, giving rise to degenerative diseases and causing the appearance of new viruses. Transgenic food alters the immune system occasioning an increment on the tolerance of virus. GMO make the immune system to lose it capacity of recognizing dangerous substances. In addition, the weakening of the immune system decreases the number of white blood cells in the body, increasing the possibilities to develop autoimmune diseases. In addition, people are prone to acquire degenerative diseases when they eat genetically engineered foods. The food that has been altered includes modified DNA, which is assimilated by the body, causing prejudicial tumors or malformations that can be transmitted to the next generations. Similarly, experimentation with GM Food will facilitate the appearance of new viruses. Viruses are organisms that can evolve being immune to the antidotes or crossbreed with others viruses that cannot be counteracted. Therefore, increase of virus tolerance, acquisition of degenerativ...
Whitman, Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?". Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Available online at http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html. Accessed November 9, 2003.
Conversely, there have been multiple indicators correlating these products to cancer, allergies, infertility, organ damage, genetic defects, and premature death. Scientists do not come to an agreement regarding these investigations, because most findings have been derived from short medical studies of 12 months or less. It is known that “short-term studies are useful for ruling out acute toxicity, but do not provide valid evidence regarding the long-term safety of GMOs”. (Fagan, Antoniou, Claire
Stop and think about your food before letting it enter your body. Is it safe? Is it good for me? Well, if you find yourself stuck in one of those situations where you can’t decide whether GM foods are good for you or bad, you’ve come to the right place. GM crops can be dangerous for you because the allergies it can give you. These GM crops are organisms that have been inserted with genes to make them look better for you, but remember, you can’t judge a book by its cover. These “delicious” looking crops can look like the best crops you ever laid eyes on, but on the inside it can cause you to get allergies that can cause you to rethink, is this really good for me? Research shows in the article, “GMOs and Genetically Modified Foods Risks and Dangers of GMOs”, that, “This can create an overproduction of allergens, toxins, carcinogens, or antinutrients.” This disseminates with clarity that GM crops can create many different allergens a...
Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.
Scientists are using various methods of genetic engineering to improve the human lifestyle. Major fields of industry are effected by genetic engineering such as the Medical, Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Industries. For example, in the Medical field, GMOs are involved in the production of insulin which can help with diabetes. In the production of vaccines, a virus’s DNA changes with the addition of extra genetic material, to help cure diseases. Also in Agriculture, by modifying a plants genetic information food yield can increase and herbicide and insect resiliency is improved. These are just a few examples of how GMOs are involved in
Genetically engineered foods are different from other foods. Genetic engineering allows, for the first time, foreign genes, bacterial and viral vectors, viral promoters and antibiotic marker systems to be engineered into food. In 1992 the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ruled, without any scientific basis, that genetically engineered foods present no different risks than traditional foods. Although the FDA ruled in 1992 that “genetically engineered foods present no different risks than traditional foods, one of FDA’s own scientists “there is a profound difference between the types of unexpected effects from traditional breeding and genetic engineering. ... This difference should be and is not addressed.” (GE Food) Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, and carcinogens. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just nine years; food allergies skyrocketed, and
Animals fed on the non-GMO food had a death of 20% (female) to 30% (male) before the end of 2 years follow up of study. These were controls
GM crops also benefit the economy and assist in feeding more people. While we struggle with feeding our population, “The population will continue to grow” (Calandrelli 1) For instance, genetic engineering in agriculture can minimize the cost of producing food. Thus, GMO’s in crops can result ...
In this day and age Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have become a topic of large interest in the media. GMOs are defined as an organism whose genetic structure has been altered by incorporating a gene that will express a desirable trait (Dresbach et. al 2013). Often times these traits that are selected are either beneficial to the consumer or producer. Currently, GMOs are being created at a higher rate than ever before and are being used in the foods that we eat. This has created a large amount of debate on local, national, and international levels about the safety of genetically modified foods to human health. There are many angles that have been taken from different groups about this issue. Some believe it is harmful to our health with one source stating that, “mice eating GMO corn had fewer and smaller babies (Jagelio 2013).” Without testing on humans how are we to know these harmful effects aren’t impacting our health and reproduction. Other groups see GMOs as being both beneficial and having no impact on human health. These individuals site that , “Since GMOs were introduced into the food supply almost 20 years ago, there has not been one documented case of any health problem in humans, not even so much as a sniffle, linked to GMOs (Entine 2013).” They have also found GMOs to be beneficial to human health. Dresbach et. al(2013) found, “The biotechnology of gene splicing allows for the opportunity of creating plants that will produce food that is more nutrient dense.” With so many different views that all cite different information about GMO’s impact on human well-being, the question remains how GMOs affect human health?
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
Scientists and researchers around the world have recently obtained the opportunity to edit human genes with a new gene editing technology known as CRISPR. With high rates of efficiency, geneticists can now genetically alter the genes of animals, insects, vegetables and last but not least, humans. Genetically modified organisms or GMO for short, is a term that is used in our society to label and identify foods that have been created and genetically modified by scientists. Foods that are genetically modified are not something that surprise or astonish the American people. However, the idea of the existence of genetically modified human beings is something that has definitely triggered the awareness of a
Consuming foods that have been genetically altered have serious health risks based on research done on rats by The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), an international organization of physicians. Risks include infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, disruption of insulin and cholesterol regulation, gastrointestinal problems and organ damage. Many AAEM physicians have prescribed non-GMO diets for all patients to improve health conditions. Jeffrey M. Smith, an advocate for non-GMO, says scientific research shows the link of GM food to thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock; thousands of toxic and allergic reactions in humans; and damage t...