Analysis of GMOs Effects on Human Health
Introduction
The study of genetically modified organisms has grown to be a topic of concern in the contemporary world. In particular, there exist regulatory procedures that guide the process of approval of the genetically modified crops and foodstuffs (DeFrancesco 796). The only technique that enables the assessment of such issues is the introduction of the mechanisms like the toxicological tests, for example, in mammals, through the performance of such a process over longer time intervals incorporating detailed blood as well as organ system analysis (Séralini et al. 1).
However, it has been challenging to carry out such initiatives because the regulatory tests tend to take place under confidential mechanisms entailing the concerned organizations, and conducted before the commercialization of the GM crops, chemicals, as well as pesticides (De et al. 715). The analysis involves an investigation of the available information because it gives an avenue for comparison of the various GMO consumptions on the health status of human beings.
In definition, a genetically modified organism is an outcome of a laboratory protocol involving the application of scientific procedures to come up with a living organism based on a given process (Snell et al. 1140). The genetically modified organisms are most of the time known as the transgenic organisms due to their association with the transfer of genes. The scientists tend to move genes from one given organism to produce the desired traits in another separate setting (Séralini et al. 4223). Therefore, it is evident that adequate analysis of the process is necessary before an organization embarks on the process of producing them.
In addition, it is imperative that they get the consent of the governmental agencies as well as that of the other regulatory bodies to meet the necessary requirements and the permission to go ahead on their initiative (Séralini et al. 4225). The research conducted involved the investigation of the three types of corn, which include the NK 603, MON 863, and MON 810. The feeding process for the genetically modified organisms involved feeding on rats for three months (Snell et al. 1141). The European governments collected the information and placed it on public platforms for adequate scrutiny.
Additionally, the studies are part of a model aimed at investigating the possible effects that might be toxicological associated with the genetically modified cereals in mammals and other organisms that consume those (Romano et al. 665). The research team took care of the animals with quality monitoring on numerous organ as well as blood parameters. The first organism underwent genetic modification to enable it to tolerate a wide spectrum of the herbicide Roundup, made up of the formulation that aids such a change (Séralini et al. 4223). The responsible organism was the NK 603.
In addition, the breeds of the organisms studied were able to show two major types of insecticides that involved the Cry1Ab (MON 810) together with Cry3Bb1 (MON 863) proteins derived from the Bacillus thuringiensis (Ricroch, 352). Therefore, all the genetically modified maize contains significant amounts of pesticide residues deemed present in the food. The analysis of the physiological effects is suitable for the animal feeding studies.
Therefore, the next part of the paper shall bring into account the analysis of the feeding processes for the organisms for a specified period and the specific locations where the experiments took place (DeFrancesco 796). The section involves an analysis of methods applied to enable the researchers to trace the specific protocol followed in the analysis of the information.
The Experimental Design. In two different days, the study took place, and it involved the feeding of the animals in two different laboratories. One study took place in Monsanto, Missouri and it entailed NK 603 as well as MON 810, on 7 June 2000. The second analysis took place in Virginia, Covance Laboratory and it involved MON 863. The cities are in the United States of America (De et al. 715). The rats were of the Sprague-Dawley albino strain, composed of the young male as well as a female with the age of 4-6 weeks. The next process was the randomization of the animals for the same distribution of the body weight.
Furthermore, the treatment process only involved two groups for every sex, and the measurement involved only ten rats in every group for their parameters like blood and urine parameters that formed the epitome of the statistical investigation (De et al. 717). Additionally, the groups of animals underwent a feeding process involving one of the six normal reference types of maize, which were the same as those of NK 306 as well as MON 810 analysis, with a deviation of the trials for the MON 863 breed (De et al. 717). However, the study considered the non-genetically modified types of maize as non-equivalent to the genetically modified ones.
Moreover, there was a difference in characteristics of each line, compared to the other lines of the maize breeds. In addition, there exists no information demonstrating whether the diets fed to the control groups contained any amount of genetically modified feeds (De et al. 718). Therefore, the methods section has been able to highlight some of the techniques applied in the process, and the information is relative to the data analysis section via the manipulation of the information collected to come up with a quality inference at the end of the investigation.
Data Collection. It is imperative that the data involving the process be made public so as the people can see as required by the European Union Directive. However, it is not always the case in practice (DeFrancesco 798). However, on the current occasion, the information needed for the investigation came into publicity via a court order, and it enabled the acquisition of the MON 863 feeding material that contained the procedures to guide the process, as well as by courtesy of the governments and the Greenpeace lawyers.
According to the research, it is evident that the Swedish Board of Agriculture made public the NK 603 information after the request made by the lawyers of Greenpeace in both Denmark and Germany, for the material MON 810 (DeFrancesco 798). As a result, it was possible to carry out a comparison of the information from the feeding trials with the genetically modified organisms. Additionally, there was an estimation of the varying weight and the biochemical parameters, which entailed both the raw as well as the relative measures as 80 in value and involved an evaluation of serum and urine in a period of one to two weeks (DeFrancesco 799).
However, there was limited span of analysis because the sample size of 10 measured twice in the three months proved insufficient to enable adequate analysis. Based on research, it is evident that the high level of precision is achievable by employing a sample size of approximately 17 rats (DeFrancesco 800). Because of the smaller sample size, it is still imprudent to conclude that the effects of the genetically modified organisms on the health of human beings are significant. However, the amplitude of the influence is measurable within the three months of the study.
Therefore, the 5% value of the absence of grounds to reject the null hypothesis should not lead to the understanding that the hypothesis is true (Snell et al. 1141). Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the statistical power to understand the effects of sample size because the statistical power depends mainly on the sample size to give a reliable outcome (Snell et al. 1141). The initiative came to reality when Monsanto laboratories conducted an analysis of variance at approximately 5% with the sample sizes of 10 rats per 10 groups. For safety reasons, the techniques employed in the analysis involve the verification of the descriptive statistics regarding the process, analysis of variance for both sexes, for each variable associated with the three genetically modified organisms (Snell et al. 1141). The techniques employed both the Shapiro test as well as the Bartlett test for determining the homoscedasticity. The other methods incorporated in the study, include the Welch method for analysis of heteroscedasticity, as well as the Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test.
Finally, for every group for every member, the establishment of the representations as well as paired tests that correspond to the temporal modifications conducted between the two feeding intervals (DeFrancesco 800). Regarding the statistical computations, the methods applied include the power package applied to study power studies, ADE4 package to assess the multivariate analysis as well as the Multtest package for FDR.
Results
The report shows that the rats show some signs of toxicity and it is particularly the case for the ones fed with MON 863 genetically modified maize for three months. However, it does not proof the adverse effects associated with the maize.
NK 603. There is a varying expression of the kidney as well as the liver parameters for the rats fed with NK 603. However, the effects are also evident in experiments involving NK 603, for the first 5 to 14 weeks and the same applies for both MON 810 and MON 863 feeding tests (Séralini et al. 4223). Based on the research, it is evident that males are more sensitive compared to females when treated with NK 603. Further observations show that significant amounts of ion concentrations exist in the urine of male rats fed with genetically modified maize. In that connection, there was evident the variation of the levels of phosphorous in the urine among female rats.
MON 810. The effects were quite significant in the female rats, and the effects of the genetically modified maize appeared either after fourteen weeks or in the high intake of the maize by the rat (Séralini et al. 4223). The parameters influenced include blood cells, kidney weights as well as the adrenal glands.
MON 863. There is an equal distribution of the 34 effects associated with genetically modified maize among the female as well as the male rats. In that connection, there exists a contrast with the results obtained in the NK 603 and MON 810 (Séralini et al. 4224). The male rats are very sensitive to large amounts of the genetically modified organisms feeding compared to the male rats. Additionally, the analysis show that female rat triglyceride levels tend to differ between fourteen to the five weeks of feeding
Discussion
Toxicity remains a challenge, and it is dangerous regardless of whether the effects are short-term or long-term. Based on the research, the evidence captured from the analysis represents the signs of toxicity and not the proofs of toxicity due to the following reasons (Buzoianu et al. 1609). Firstly, the feeding trials took place only for the one a single phase and involved a single mammalian species. Secondly, the feeding time was within the limits of three months, hence the results obtained were insufficient to proof the expected outcome (Buzoianu et al. 1609). Thirdly, there occurred a low statistical power of the analysis because of the empirical design determined by Monsanto.
However, the short-term feeding trials remain to be the only tests possible, which enable the regulators to determine the status of the genetically modified crop in regards to whether it is safe for human consumption or not (Buzoianu et al. 1609). Any deviations observed in the study might be the result of the physiological disruption. Additionally, there exists a significant concordance between the results obtained with outcomes of the Monsanto experiments as reported by the various analyses conducted in the past.
Comparison
The paper analyzed is comparable to the one written by Chesea Snell and other researchers, assessing the health impacts associated with genetically modified plant diets, in the long-term as well as multigenerational animal feeding trials (Buzoianu et al. 1609). The comparison of the two papers shall consider the similarities as well as the differences in the approaches used by the responsible teams of researchers to assess the subject of the analysis.
Similarities
Thirdly, both studies have considered the methods and data analysis, applying similar specimens like the Cry1Ab genetically modified maize, and testing the parameters like body weight, the feed consumption, the chemistry of blood, urine as well as the blood cell count (DeFrancesco 796). Both studies have also incorporated the analysis of anatomical pathology as well as the histopathology.
The two studies conducted show that the principles of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development apply in the two studies (DeFrancesco 796). The principles of the organization guide the manner of conducting research in most parts of the world. The general systematic investigative procedure applied in both analyses aided the 90-day determination of the effects of genetically modified organisms on human health.
Differences
Firstly, the study involving the "comparison of the effects of the three GM corn varieties on mammalian Health”, focused on three corn varieties, while the other paper focused on the 12 multigenerational investigations (DeFrancesco 796). Therefore, it is evident that the analysis of the first paper concentrated on a limited span of sample size.
However, the second paper had a wide sample size because it considered a wide variety of specimens like maize, soybeans, potato, rice, as well as triticale on animal health. Secondly, in the comparison research, the methods like Welch test, Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, the Shapiro test, and the Bartlett test, which the second paper that involves the assessment of the dangers of using the genetically modified organisms did not incorporate in its studies (DeFrancesco 798). Therefore, it is prudent to conclude that; the research about the comparison of effects of genetically modified organisms on human health entails more details compared to the second paper on the assessment.
In conclusion, the study of the effects of the genetically modified organisms on human health is a topic that involves sensitive information that caught the attention of most researchers, causing most of them to embark on further research about the same topic (DeFrancesco 798). Therefore, the papers are a great work done by the various responsible individuals who compiled these reports as a confirmation of the practical analysis they conducted on the subject.
Works Cited
Buzoianu, S. G., et al. "Effect of feeding genetically modified Bt MON810 maize to∼ 40-day-old pigs for 110 days on growth and health indicators." Animal 6.10 (2012): 1609.
De Vendômois, Joël Spiroux, et al. "A comparison of the effects of three GM corn varieties on mammalian health." Int J Biol Sci 5.7 (2009): 706-726.
DeFrancesco, Laura. "How safe does transgenic food need to be?." Nature biotechnology 31.9 (2013): 794-802.
Ricroch, Agnes E. "Assessment of GE food safety using ‘-omics’ techniques and long-term animal feeding studies." New biotechnology 30.4 (2013): 349-354.
Romano, Marco Aurelio, et al. "Glyphosate impairs male offspring reproductive development by disrupting gonadotropin expression." Archives of toxicology 86.4 (2012): 663-673.
Séralini, Gilles-Eric, et al. "Genetically modified crops safety assessments: present limits and possible improvements." Environmental Sciences Europe 23.1 (2011): 1.
Séralini, Gilles-Eric, et al. "RETRACTED: Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize." Food and chemical toxicology 50.11 (2012): 4221-4231.
Snell, Chelsea, et al. "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 (2012): 1134-1148.
