Food With Genetic Modification

We presume that things like milk, vegetables, fruits, and grains are healthy for us whenever we sit down to eat. Well, reconsider. Since the advent of genetically modified (also known as genetically altered) organisms in 1994, the crops we have been eating—such as corn, tomato, potato, soybean, and strawberries—have undergone significant changes during the past ten years. These days, genetically modified products make up over 60% of the inventory on the shelves of your neighborhood grocery store, and most of them are not marked as such.
Although these genetically engineered foods seem and taste similar to meals we consumed prior to 1994, they have different core structures. Genetic engineering is a technique that has altered their internal genetic structure. That's not where it ends. Genetically engineered food ingredients, such as soy lecithin and corn syrup, are included in the majority of processed foods that humans consume. Examine the labels. If an ingredient in an item is made of corn or soy, it's likely that it contains a genetically modified organism even if it doesn't say "genetically modified" on the label. Moreover, canola oil is a product of genetic modification. Furthermore, corn products are frequently used in animal feed, and eventually they find their way into human bodies through the consumption of meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, and other foods from animals that have been fed this genetically modified diet.
Genetically modified food: what is it?
To put it simply, foreign genes are introduced into a plant with the intention of shielding it from frost or insects. Why not give the plant a gene that can defend itself against insects and frost, because it is unable to do so? For instance, strawberries have been genetically modified to withstand the cold by introducing fish DNA from a cold-tolerant fish. This is not an easy task. Additional genes are required to deceive the plant's DNA into allowing the foreign gene to enter in order for the pesticide gene to be inserted and active. Along with the pesticide or frost gene, two more genes are inserted: a "antibiotic resistance marker gene" and a promoter gene (cauliflower mosaic virus). For instance, the most popular kind of genetically modified soybean is Monsanto's herbicide-resistant "Round Up Ready" soybean, which has genes from petunia and the cauliflower virus.
For us, the customers, what does that mean? This implies that the food we eat has insecticides already included in it. We are consuming genetically modified plants that have had genes added from entirely unrelated creatures including fish, pigs, bacteria, and moths. According to regulatory experts, these genetically modified meals shouldn't create any issues because they are meant to break down in the stomach. In real life, though, this is not the case. An independent investigation revealed that certain huge pieces of genetically modified food remained in the digestive tract for up to two hours without breaking down. An immunological reaction against these pieces is more likely the longer they remain unbroken. Allergy-like symptoms arise when the body's immune system activates. It is well known that allergies in young children have increased within the last ten or more years. Might foods that have undergone genetic modification be one of the causes?
The Unknowns
There is no control over where these foreign genes will be placed into the plant's DNA, even once they are added as a package into the gene. It frequently takes thousands of attempts for this random event to be effectively inserted into the plant's DNA. The technique is unreliable since it is unclear and unpredictable where the foreign gene is really put into the DNA.
What the foreign gene will do to the human body's DNA composition is uncertain. How do we sure the cauliflower prosaic virus, which shares characteristics with the AIDS and Hepatitis B viruses, won't damage humans when it's placed beside the pesticide gene as a promoter? There have been multiple cases where viruses that were previously believed to be exclusive to animals have been discovered to cross species borders and impact humans as well.
Health Concerns Relating to Genetically Modified Foods
For 110 days, or 10 human years, in 1998, Professor Arpad Puztai of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute fed a group of juvenile rats genetically modified potatoes bearing DNA from the jackbean and snowdrop. The rats' immune systems were weakened and they experienced mild development retardation, making them more susceptible to illness.
(Source: Malatesta M, Caporaloni C, Gavaudan S, et al. "Ultrastructural Morphometrical and Immunocytochemical Analyses of Hepatocyte Nuclei from Mice Fed on Genetically Modified Soybean") An Italian study revealed that consumption of genetically modified soybean may affect liver cell nuclear features in juvenile and adult mice. Cell Structure and Function, Volume 27, Issue 4, 2002, pages 173–18
On the Philippine island of Mindanao, thirty-nine residents of a community close to a sizable field of Bt maize (Dekalb 818 YG) were afflicted with a sickness that caused fever, intestinal, skin, and respiratory symptoms (2003). These signs appeared when pollen from the maize was in the air. Through genetic engineering, the pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was produced in maize. IgA, IgG, and IgM antibodies were found in their blood samples in response to Bt-toxin, suggesting an immunological response to GM maize pollen. The symptoms of these four villagers disappeared when they left the area. The symptoms reappeared as quickly as they left.
Problems That Need to Be Addressed
We just cannot begin to track down any negative impacts that genetically modified foods may have if they are not labeled. Because no studies have been conducted, we are unsure of the long-term effects of consuming these foods. The manufacturer bears the responsibility for safety, according to the FDA. It is imperative for consumers to get in touch with their representatives and express their desire for genetically modified food labels. The manufacturer will not be held responsible until these labels are placed on food products. Customers can take precautions now by limiting their diet to organic foods.
These GMO plants have caused problems for the environment.Cross-pollination, or the contamination of fields by bees carrying pollen to another field where they pollinate other plants, has been observed close to genetically engineered crops. For instance, a 2001 recall of genetically modified maize called Starlink corn resulted in the discovery that various corn products, including corn tortillas, were contaminated with the genetically modified corn, even though it was thought to have been taken off the market.The number of weeds is rising. As predicted, genetically modified plants should require fewer pesticides, and this was true throughout their first few years of cultivation. However, a report published on November 25, 2004, by the Northwest Science and Environmental Policy Center revealed that since 1996, the planting of 550 million acres of genetically modified (GE) maize, soybeans, and cotton in the United States has resulted in an increase in pesticide consumption of almost 50 million pounds. In order to keep up with the weeds that are becoming harder to control, many farmers have had to use additional pesticides on GE acres.

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