Impact of Genetically Modified Food Products on Human Health

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Impact of Genetically Modified Food Products on Human Health
Genetically modified (GM) food products entered the commercial food market in the United States twenty years ago. GM foods are plants and/or animals that have undergone alteration of their genetic makeup through gene splicing. Manufacture of GM food begins by pinpointing and isolating a desirable trait from within a plant, animal, virus, or bacteria. Once isolated, the selected gene is inserted into the DNA of the unrelated organism. This process of genetic merging does not occur in nature. Manufacturers of GM foods insist that their products are safe for human consumption and offer enhanced nutritional benefits. However, many consumers and healthcare professionals have expressed concern since the emergence of GM food due to a noticeable rise in food allergies, chronic diseases, and drug resistance within the United States. To date, there have been no published studies about long-term effects of GM foods on human health. For this reason, it is necessary for healthcare professionals to weigh the risks versus the advantages of GM food consumption with their patients.
Impact on Patients
GMO activists insist that engineered food products are enriched with nutrients and provide more nutrition than non-engineered foods. Examples include enrichment of rice with beta-carotene to combat vitamin A deficiency and modification of soybean oil and canola oil to decrease polyunsaturated fats and increase monounsaturated fats (Kramkowska, Grzelak, & Czyzewska, 2013, p. 414). GMO supporters also praise pharmaceutical crops in which plants are engineered to mass-produce proteins to be used in human drugs. Field tests are currently under way for manipulation of a safflower vari...

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...curite or threat to food safety. Pakistan Journal of Science, 62(2), 6-12.
Kramkowska, M., Grzelak, T., & Czyzewska, K. (2013). Benifits and risks associated with genetically modified food products. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 20(3), 413-419. Retrieved from www.aaem.pl
Nurses are concerned with artificial growth hormones in dairy products. (2010). Retrieved from http://noharm.org/us/nurses/rBGH
Position statement on genetically engineered food. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.noharm.org
Smith, J. M. (2009). Doctors warn: avoid genetically modified food. Doctors Warn. Retrieved from http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/health-risks/articles-about-risks-by-jeffrey-smith/health-risk-articles-landing
Wohlers, A. E. (2013). Labeling of genetically modified food. Politics & The Life Sciences, 32(1), 73-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2990/32_1_73

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