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Health benefits of genetically modified foods
Genetically modified foods: Helpful or harmful
An essay on genetic modification in agriculture
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Recommended: Health benefits of genetically modified foods
Introduction
Let’s face it, the term genetically modified (GM) foods is not the most appetizing word in the English language and neither is the term genetically engineered foods for that matter. Whether or not you realize it, you have consumed at least one product that contains genetically modified foods. These “modified foods” are hiding all over your supermarkets and in some instances, there is no way to tell just by looking at it. But, they have been around for more than two decades and it has helped to keep our food supply alive.
The technological innovation that is genetically modified foods was first introduced during the early 1980s. It took nearly two decades of expensive research and development to move agricultural and food products from the lab and into your supermarkets (Weick & Walchi, 2002). The basic process of creating GM foods is to isolate the gene of a living organism and transfer them into a different living organism. This process is known as “recombinant DNA or gene technology” (Windley, 2008). This is done by cutting DNA from different organisms and joining them together. The loops of DNA that are naturally found in bacteria are cut with a restriction enzyme and then combined with a gene of interest. The technology allows plant breeders to produce crops with characteristics that can withstand diseases and insects.
This paper will focus on the effects of genetically modified foods on producers, consumers, and the environment. I decided to choose this topic because it has always been a subject mentioned throughout many of my science courses. I have heard the term, but never fully understood what it meant or its impact on the world. By choosing this as my research paper topic, I know it will better my und...
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...ture. MEDSURG Nursing, 11(5), 242-246. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
McCullum, C., Benbrook, C., Knowles, L., Roberts, S., & Schryver, T. (2003). Application of modern biotechnology to food and agriculture: Food systems perspective. Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior, 35(6), 319-332. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
Weick,C.W., Walchli,S.B. (2002). Genetically engineered crops and foods: Back to the basics of technology diffusion. Technology in Society, 21(3), 265-283. Retrieved from Science Direct.
Whitman, D. B. (2000, April). Genetically modified foods: Harmful or helpful? ProQuest. Retrieved April 2, 2012, from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
Windley,S. (2008). Genetically Modified Foods. Pure Health MD.Retrieved April 3, 2012, from
http://arch.ttu.edu/w/images/d/d8/Genetically_Modified_Foods.pdf
Maghari, Behrokh Mohajer, and Ali M. Ardekani. "Genetically Modified Foods And Social Concerns." Avicenna Journal Of Medical Biotechnology 3.3 (2011): 109-117. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Lambrick, M. (2009). Counterpoint: Genetically Modified Foods Carry Numerous Risks. Canadian Points Of View: Genetically Modified Food, 3.
If you read the paper or watch the news, you’re undoubtedly aware of the debate raging over genetically modified food. Is it bad or is it good? Between the feuding sides, you might find yourself a little lost and wondering which side is right. Answers to seemingly simple questions have been blurred or exaggerated by both sides. On one side genetically modified food is more sustainable, safe, cheaper, easier to grow and has the potential of creating disease-fighting foods. Although this is positive and good intentioned, there may be unintended consequences that we have been quick to overlook. Those opposing genetically modified food clam that it is dangerous, harms the environment, increases health risks, and causes infertility and weight gain. Even things like the declining bee population may have closer ties to modified food than previously thought. We must look to science for answers. By studying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) we can guide our decision about whether we want to be consuming them.
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
Deal, Walter F., and Stephen L. Baird. “Genetically Modified Foods: A Growing Need.” Technology Teacher 62.7 (2003): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.
Thesis Statement: Research suggests that GMO's (genetically modified organisms/products) could be harmful for people and the environment because of their potential to produce new allergens, increase toxicity, decrease nutritional value, and increase bacterial antibiotic resistance. Bakshi, A. K. (2003). Potential adverse health effects of genetically modified crops. Journal Of Toxicology And Environmental Health,Part B, 6, 211-225. Retrieved from http://globalseminarhealth.wdfiles.com/local--files/nutrition/Bakshi.pdf This article is one of the pioneering research papers that addresses the potential negative impact of genetically modified crops.
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserts it into another plant. The new genetically-modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
In conclusion, the application of genetically modified food has a lot of pros and cons. There is so much disagreement about the benefits and risks of GM because there are so many different views surrounding it. This issue is very important today because it will change our future. How would the world be when every single living creature will be in some aspect genetically modified? Would we be more resistant to illness? Or would we be weaker and more vulnerable to diseases? Would this be the beginning of the mutant era? Regardless of the answers to these questions, we will need to consider the implications of genetically modified foods.
This report explains genetically modified food (GMOs) and discusses the benefits and risks associated with the consumptions of GMOs. Genetically modified foods (GMOs) are foods that have been genetically altered using engineering techniques. The most common technique used today is called recombinant DNA technology; this technology combines different molecules from different plant species to create a plant with a new set of genes, a hybrid plant. Another recombinant DNA technology being used is recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) an artificial growth hormone; this hormone is being fed or injected into cows to improve milk production. (ThefreeDictionary)
“Genetically modified foods are a "Pandora's box" of known and unknown risks to humans and the environment. They have been forced onto the American public by multinational biotech and agribusiness corporations without adequate oversight and regulation by the United States government (Driscoll, SallyMorley, David C).”Genetically Modified Food is food which has been chemically altered by scientists during the production process to give the food more nutrients, better appearance, and a longer shelf-life (Rich, Alex K.Warhol, Tom). The importance of this issue is that these GMO’s can actually have a negative effect in our society in general. It could mutate in a negative way and cause cancer or other diseases. Genetically modified food should be strictly controlled due to its various detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and potentially insect/animal effects.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are an organism, such as a plant, animal, or any microorganism, who’s had its DNA changed in different ways through genetic engineering that is not natural. It is an organism like every other organism, which produces thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen specifically by humans. It creates unstable combinations of plants, animal, bacterial, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. The majority of Americans in the US consume nearly 200 pounds of GMOs each year. 90% of US crops are genetically modified.
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Agricultural Biotechnology:Using Genetic Engineering to produce super foods. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://suite101.com/content/agricultural-biotechnology.html. ILEIA editorial team (2001, December). Genetic engineering: not the only option [Electronic version].
Boyers, Lindsay. "Genetically Modified Foods." SF chronicle [San Francisco] 03 03 2013, Demand Media n. pag. Print.
New opportunities and challenges of human health are presented by the application of biotechnology to food. Biotechnology helps improve the quality and nutrition of foods consumed by people,this helps their health. Foods produced through biotechnology has been around for more than 15 years but people are still debating about how safe the food is. Biotechnology still have to plays its role by increasing agricultural productivity,especially in light of climate change. I believe that biotechnology is still going to help better th nutritional value of food. It can also assist farmers to increase their productivity so that they can feed their families and many people across the globe. The whole world should be using the food biotechnology because it has the ability to change the world,it can be to end world hunger .