GMO foods alias Frankenfoods have been reeling under intense debate since a long time. While they have the potential to curb the world hunger because of high productivity levels, safety concerns have become a hot potato that relegates the significance of GMO foods to the backburner.
Scientists have worried that GM crops, on mixing with organic crops, lead to food contamination. Researchers aver that contamination has already spread across 2/3rd of arable farmland in the United States, and the Science does not how to ameliorate the menace. Studies have further revealed that such foods toxically affect various human systems and body organs; they mark undesirable impacts on hepatic, renal, pancreatic or reproductive systems. Consumption of GM foods is likely to alter immunological, biochemical, and hematological parameters of the body. A U.S. food manufacturer recalled Taco shells in 2000 for including GM corn that was not found suitable for human consumption. Last but not the least, the market of GMO foods is not well regulated. Studies are not trustworthy; adverse findings are hidden, and the statistically small numbers of samples fail to provide any convincing results. There does not exist an upright way to know how a 'transgene' might affect the cell functioning by releasing different proteins.
Amidst these concerns are few animal studies that also reveal appalling results. Rats fed with GMO products turned out to have damaged immune systems and smaller liver and heart. Their WBCs underwent structural changes thereby making them vulnerable to various infections and disease. Succinctly, there is compelling evidence that GMO foods cause grave harms at different levels. Safety issues also crop up in short of relevant research studies. It is likely that extensive research studies in the future will assist scientists to clarify the matter more concisely and clearly.
References
Bakshi, A. (2003). Potential Adverse Health Effects of Genetically Modified Crops. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev , 211-25.
Dona, A., & Arvanitoyannis, I. (2009). Health Risks of Genetically Modified Foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. , 164-75.
Lendman, S. (2014, Feb 15). Potential Health Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods. Retrieved August 16, 2016, from globalresearch.ca: http://www.globalresearch.ca/potential-health-hazards-of-genetically-engineered-foods/8148
Oxford Reference. (2012). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Oxford University Press.
