GMO’s – GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISIMS

WHAT ARE GMO’s?

GMO’s are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. Basically, through the laboratory process, genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to create a desired trait or characteristic.

HOW IS GENETIC ENGINEERING DONE?

Genetic engineering can be a timely and complicated process. Integrating different species with each other is an act against nature and is virtually impossible to be completed with natural processes.

  • Living organisms have natural barriers to protect themselves against DNA from a different species; genetic engineers have discovered ways to force the DNA from one organism into another by using different methods. The methods include:
  • Using viruses or bacteria to infect animal or plant cells with the new DNA
  • Coating the DNA onto tiny metal pellets and injecting the into the cells
  • Injecting the new DNA into fertilized eggs with a fine needle
  • Using electrical shocks to create holes in the membrane covering sperm and forcing the new DNA into the sperm by way of the holes.

WHY ARE GMO’s USED?

Food crops care genetically modified for many reasons.

  • Increase nutritional benefits
  • Better productivity, yield more crops
  • Herbicide tolerance
  • Ability of the plant to produce its own pesticide

American Crops commonly modified:

  • Field corn
  • Soybeans
  • Cotton

Many crops are genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant to yield more crops. GMO sweet corn, papaya, zucchini, potatoes, and yellow summer squash are for sale in grocery stores. Recently, genetically engineered non-browning ‘Artic’ apples have been deregulated by the USDA and are being released in the market.

Other sources of GMO’s include products derived from the above mentioned foods/crops, including oils, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup.

  • Meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have GM eaten feed
  • Dairy products from cows injected with a GM hormone
  • Food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, sweeteners
  • Honey and bee pollen that may have GM sources of pollen

CAN GMO’S BE PROBLEMATIC?

Yes, GMO’s can lead to unintended side effects and other complications. For example, plants can create toxins, react differently to their environment, contain too much or too little nutrients, become diseased, malfunction or die. When new genes are integrated into a GMO, dormant genes may be activated or present genes are altered which can create new or unknown proteins.

There is a number of dangers of eating GMO’s that include potential toxins, allergens, carcinogens, new diseases, antibiotic resistant diseases, and nutritional problems. Little research has been conducted on GMO’s with the connections to field crops but not to the extent to know all possibilities of outcomes. Less research has been completed on the consumption of GMO’s within humans. In fact the studies were not followed up on the effects of GMO’s but rather whether or not GMO’s survived in the stomach after consumption.

The biotech industry concludes millions have been eating GM foods without ill effects. However, according to the Institute for Responsible Technology, this is misleading because no one monitors human health impacts of GM foods. If the foods were creating health problems in the US population, it might take years before identifying the cause. Little tracking is completed on the use of GM in foods after consumption. Long-term studies need to be conducted to determine more of the effects on GM’s in foods, however, as stated earlier, this could take many years, possibly decades to understand.
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require safety studies to be completed on GMO products. The biotech industry claims the FDA has thoroughly evaluated GM foods and found them safe but this is not accurate. The makers of the GM foods claim they are safe. The FDA relies on information from the makers and biotech companies for approval of their products.

TIPS TO AVOID GMO’s

  • Buy Organic
  • Look for Non-GMO Project Seals – this seals proves the product was tested by the non-profit organization who is committed to providing consumers with verified non-GMO choices
  • Avoid at-risk ingredients- no rbGH, rbST, or artificial hormones, and the most popular GM crops (corn, soybeans, canola, cottonseed, sugar beets, etc.)
  • Use the Non-GMO shopping guide- visit NonGMOShoppingGuide.com to see a complete list of Non-GMO products

Dishin’ out Healthy – Health Educator: Nichelle

Sources:
Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT)
American Academy of Environmental Medicine
The NON-GMO Shopping Guide. Summer 2014 Edition