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Health implications of genetically modified food
Effects of genetically modified food on humans
Effects of genetically modified food on humans
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Recommended: Health implications of genetically modified food
GMO’s: Advantage or Disadvantage?
While shopping in a grocery store most shoppers are unaware that almost 70% of the produce is genetically modified (Smith). When people are told this their minds immediately make genetically modified foods seem like a bad thing. Some will argue that genetically modified foods are bad for a person’s health. Actually, genetically modified foods are almost identical to the original version and can be extremely beneficial to both the environment and the economy. Recently, the idea of genetically modified salmon has been brought up. Fish farming is expensive to do with all of the extra shipping fees. With the new AquaAdvantage idea, these extra costs will no longer be a problem. The AquaAdvantage is a genetically
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Genetically modified foods can help to decrease this extra expense because shipping will no longer be necessary. America will be able to make certain fruits and vegetables without having to rely on other countries. America will also make a bigger profit from the foods because they will not take as long to grow (Greenwood). Not only do GMO’s have economic benefits, but there are also many environmental benefits. Besides for growing faster, the plants are also less likely to get diseased (Whitman, 2). America looses up to 40% of the food grown because the plants get diseased (Gunders).Genetically modified plants are designed to fight diseases. The plants do not need the pesticides and herbicides that a normal plant needs (Whitman, 2). The plants are also able to withstand many different climates. Certain genetically modified plants can even help fight pollution because they clean the soil that they are planted in (Whitman …show more content…
They believe that America should label the GMO foods because the public should know what they are consuming. The FDA finds that they should not label the foods because it is not a proven fact that GMO’s cause health problems (Whfood.org).
` However, proponents of genetically modified foods find that besides for all of the negative health aspects of GMO’s there are also some health aspects that can be beneficial. For instance, by genetically modifying simple foods, scientists have the ability to put more nutrition into them. As a result of this, people who are poor and can only afford foods like rice or potatoes will still get all of the necessary vitamins (Whitman, 3). Another example of this is the AquaAdvantage, which contains more protein than the average fish (Greenwood).
This idea of putting more nutrition into foods can help the world. The high speed manufacturing of GMO’s can also help fight world hunger. As the population is growing so is the amount of food needed to feed the world. GMO’s can help assure that the world will never run out of food (Whitman,
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the AquAdvantage salmon for consumption. The salmon has been genetically engineered to grow faster than the conventional farmed salmon.
Genetically modified? That alone should be a cause for alarm, and have you wondering, what exactly is in this that I am eating? Yet every day millions of American’s choose to load up on food filled with GMO’s, and not even know it. First we must understand what GMO’s are. GMO’s are any organism whose genetics has been altered using genetic engineering. We should not be tampering with nature, and should try to grow organically as much as possible. There has not been enough research on GMO’s to know the potential long term effects it can have on us, so this is why GMO’s should be banned.
Because of the increase in population, products need to be manufactured in a faster and more efficient way, and with genetically modified foods, the food is larger in size and quicker to harvest. Another advantage of GM foods is that it uses less fertilizer and less water and is more resistant to insects, diseases, frost, and drought. Consumers would not want to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of possible health hazards and growing GM foods can help eliminate the use of chemical pesticides. Plants that are genetically engineered to resist strong herbicide will help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. This will benefit both the companies and the environment because the production cost is reduced and the danger of agricultural waste run-off is limited. As more land is being used for housing instead of food production, crops need to adapt to locations unsuited
Compare the benefits of growing GM seeds for crops with the potential negative consequences of using them.
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.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
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.
Eating is extremely important, it is also important to eat healthy. Most Americans eat without any concerns; they are not questioning or researching what they are feeding themselves or their family. A lot of that has to do with their financial stability, not having the time to prepare a meal due to their time-consuming work schedule, also lack of knowledge and education on what they are consuming. In this bibliography, I will go over all three articles and explain what they are about.
GMOs have their pros and cons, but in terms of their effects on biodiversity, the technology is almost solely negative in how it affects the environment. Genetically modified food can damage agriculture as it allows for less restraint on chemical usage which leads to stronger weeds and weaker soil. The crops can easily spread their genetically modified genome through the wind. GMOs damage living organisms by making nasty insects stronger and vital insects weaker. GM foods are correlated with the decline in mammal and bird health, and the introduction of GM animals like salmon poses a threat to the ecosystem of wild fish.
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.
In this day and age, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have become a topic of large interest in the media. GMOs are defined as an organism whose genetic structure has been altered by incorporating a gene that will express a desirable trait (Dresbach et al. al. 2013). Often times, these traits that are selected are either beneficial to the consumer or producer. Currently, GMOs are being created at a higher rate than ever before and are being used in the foods that we eat.
If crops were affected by droughts, disease and insects, having destroyed many acres across America’s Midwest region, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) would not be beneficial in regenerating new crops. Genetically modifying foods (GMOs) “are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” (nongmoproject.org). Most research done has concluded no positive benefits in using GMOs. There are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods based on scientific research done around the world. The purpose of GMOs are to increase production of crop yield and reduce pesticide use but research says otherwise. If farmers wanted to continue using GMOs to produce crops, labeling should be mandatory to allow consumers to have a conscious choice whether or not to eat GM food. Through research it has been proven that the use of GMOs to increased production of crops during a time of drought or disease have no benefits, just risks.
In conclusion, the application of genetically modified food has a lot of pros and cons. There is so much disagreement about the benefits and risks of GM because there are so many different views surrounding it. This issue is very important today because it will change our future. How would the world be when every single living creature will be in some aspect genetically modified? Would we be more resistant to illness? Or would we be weaker and more vulnerable to diseases? Would this be the beginning of the mutant era? Regardless of the answers to these questions, we will need to consider the implications of genetically modified foods.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
“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.