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Hazardous effects of gmos essay
A concern that has been raised about the consumption of genetically modified foods
Effects of gmo foods on humans
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What are the Effects of Genetically Modified Foods on the Human Body?
For many years, Companies have been using GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms in their food products. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), genetically modified organisms can be defined as “organisms in which the genetic material DNA has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally”. These organisms are used in the majority of food products across the world making people think that the use of GMOs is nothing out of the ordinary. What consumers do not realize are the potential health risks they have on the human body. In Jeffery Smith's article (2011), The Fight Against GMOS, he states that doctors have been prescribing people to consume no genetically modified foods and biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava, PhD, believes that there may be a major reason for the recent rise in serious illnesses in the US (Smith 2011, p. 10). It is apparent that continuously altering genes in these organisms must have some possible health consequences. This research paper considers the possible heath risks on the human body and has the answers to the following questions:
1. How do GMOS affect human health?
2. Why is Contamination the biggest threat?
3. What are the food labels not showing consumers?
People need to understand the health risks of GM foods to make better choices and become aware about what is really going on in the food industry. This paper will help open the eyes of consumers about what they are really ingesting.
How do GMOs affect human health?
Various questions have started to spread regarding how GMOs affect the human body. According to the article written by Melissa Smith, Say No to GMOS (2011), she states that: Based on animal research ...
... middle of paper ...
...ywhere. Understanding how much the GMOS affect the human body will help make more consumers aware of just how bad GM foods and other pesticides used with them really are.
Works Cited
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"Salmonella Poisoning (Salmonellosis) Symptoms, Causes, Treatment." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
Smith, J. (2007). THE DANGERS OF GMOs Genetic Engineering in our Food Supply An Interview with Jeffrey Smith. Share Guide, (94), 10-83.
Smith, J. M. (2011). The Fight Against GMOs. Share Guide, (114), 10-33.
"20 Questions on Genetically Modified Foods."WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.
Our attitudes toward GMO foods range from hostility to indifference. GMO foods, like pesticide-resistant Roundup Ready soybeans and fast-growing salmon, seem to exist primarily to pad corporate pockets. Most people are not aware that they are eating GMO foods. The greater percentage of the population is just looking at the price tag instead of what is in the food product. This technology has the potential to provide sustainable nutrient rich food sources throughout the ages if the science is not abused for the food industry’s
More Nutritious. Mayo Clinic. 18 Dec. 2010. Web. The Web.
Experts say, “Unless you consume only certified organic foods […] you’ve almost certainly eaten foods containing ingredients whose genes have been tweaked […].” (Anonymous, 2013, p.4). This assertion proves that people is eating food with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), nevertheless they disown the consequences of its intake. The opinions in the scientific society are divided, however recent experiments let predict the possible effects that GM Food production and consumption generates in a global scale. Genetically Modified Foods should be banned because it generates a negative impact on humans’ health, affects the environment and harms the third world nations.
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.
Wardlaw, G.M. and Smith. Contemporary Nutrition: Issues and Insights. 5th Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp 85, 2004.
In the U.S., GM foods have received little public opposition; this is largely due to the fact that food manufacturers are not required to label their products as containing genetically modified ingredients for fear of confusing consumers. Due to the lack of evidence that genetically altered foods are harmful, the Food and Drug Administration considers GM foods to be “generally regarded as safe” (known as GRAS) and no special labeling is required (Falkner 103). In the U.S., genetically modified crops are monitored by t...
Paul, Maya W. “Healthy Fast Foods.” Help Guide. Help Guide, 10 Sep. 2010. Web. 9 May 2011.
GMOs can also bear consequences in terms of genetic pollution and alteration, from contamination and mutation to adaptation to evolution to species extinction. Indeed, some claims are not well supported and may require testing, like genetic alteration through consumption or the validity of correlating animal health deficits with GM feeds. However, overall, GM foods clearly affect the world negatively in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem impacts. With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods: health versus biodiversity; benefits versus dangers; pros versus cons, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and surprisingly, it is a hot debate that is still full of life.
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 on 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.
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...
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 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 have been changing genomes of plants and animals by integrating new genes from a different species through genetic engineering, creating a genetically modified organism (GMO). Consumers in America have been eating GMOs since 1996, when they went on the market. There are benefits to genetically modifying crop plants, as it improves the crop quality and increases yield, affecting the economy and developing countries. But there are also negative effects from GMOs. Consumption of GMOs has various health effects on both body systems of animals and humans. GMOs also affect the environment, ecosystems and other animal species. The cons outweigh the pros in the case of GMOs.
Lewis Brown, L. (n.d.). Eat Smart for a Great Start Newsletter. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from