Healthy or Not, the Discussion About Genetically Modified Food

Healthy or not, the discussion about Genetically Modified Food

Since the first Genetically Modified (GM) crop was produced in 1982, more and more GM food like tomato, corn and soybean exist in our dinner now. The effect of the GM food has been widely-discussed both in scientific reports and among the general population. Because people desire to have longer and healthier lives, more academic discussions focus on the healthy effect of GM food in the recent years. There are two mainly opposite comments about GM food: some scholars (Landrigan and Benbrook, 2015; Chakraborty, 2011) worry the GM food may possibly harm the health of people, and the government may need to strengthen the limit of the production of GM food, while many scholars (Nevison, 2014; Lucht, 2015) state the safety and benefits of eating GM food and they believe that the public can eat GM production with trust. This essay argues that the GM food will not bring unhealthy factors to the public, on the contrary,it is safe and health because there is not enough authoritative support to prove that GM food directly damage human health.

The argument that GM food may not be as healthy as the normal food is based on some examples of people who touch GM crop and then appear some uncomfortable symptoms. Chakraborty (2011) mentions that in India, after exposure to Bt cotton, hundreds of cotton handlers and farm workers reported to suffer from allergy symptoms. While in 2003 in the Philippines, some people suffered from several ailments including breathing difficulties, headache when 30 hectors of Bt maize were planted in this area. This incident possibly can be explained by the reviews from the National Academy of Sciences. The reviews noted that in the genetically modified technology, a necessary step is genetic transformation which might produce unanticipated allergens or toxins and has potential to change the nutritional quality of food. This may cause big quantity allergy (Landrigan& Benbrook, 2015). Because of the true cases and available and reasonable explanation, the argument that GM food cause allergy seems to be dependable. However, other possible reasons also can cause the occurrence of these incidents, for example water pollution and allergen from the food ill people ate. None of the evident directly indicate that intimated touch with GM food will cause allergy. There are so many other variable factors in these examples can cause large health incidences, and allergens from GM food only is one of the conjectures which is not confirmed yet. So it cannot prove the unhealthy of GM food.

Scientists from all around the world has designed many experiments to test the safety of GM food. Some sparked experiment result in doubt of GM food in public. For example, a team from French published a result of GM food in 2012, showed that rats who fed by GM corn have higher possibility to suffer organ damage and cancers than usual, and also died younger. However, the scientific communities have found some obvious analytic weaknesses in this experiment which may cause a wrong consequence so major scientists stand opposed position of this result. (Houllier, 2012), the European Food Safety Authority announced this experiment is not valid for risk assessment because of the insufficient scientific quality of it. (Marshall, 2012) As well as Houllier, Lucht (2015) also suggests that almost all the research has not attested the use of GM product directly result in any significant health hazards until now. In addition, there are many research and studies supporting the innocuous nature of GM food. According to the experiment completed by Liu et al (2012), GM corn is as safe as conventional non-GM corn. This team measured the feed consumption, body weight, and toxicological response variables, and examine microscopic pathology of the rats after feeding them with the diets containing corn in 90 days as well to test the safety of GM maize. The result show that it do not have any difference between rats fed by non-GM corn and GM corn and strongly support the safe of GM food. Compared with the French experiment, the researchers efficiently apply the control variate method. The difference of the diet of rat is the only variation in this safe test which guarantee the consequence only relate to whether GM food safe or not, it is more accurate and reasonable.

Some scholars published reports even state the benefit of eating GM food. Nevison (2014) indicates there is a decline in OP insecticide, this decline need for external insecticides may result in more and more GM food is planted in the agricultural production, and the genetically modified crop can produce Bt toxin which can prevents targeted insect pests. The insecticides may be harmful to human’s body, the existence of GM food ensures the output of the grain and in the meantime decreases the potential harm from the insecticides. Other research also noted that GM products are not only safe to people, but also have some desirable and tangible benefits for the consumer. Lucht (2015) points out that GM food may increase the content of vitamins or omega-3 fatty acids, and lower the blood cholesterol properties. Adenle et al (2012) propose that compared with traditional plant breeding techniques, GM technology probably can be more useful and efficient in reliving the problem of micronutrient deficiencies especially in some developing countries and areas. Scientist found a significant increase in most of the essential amino acids and total protein in transgenic potato whose gene is changed by genetically modified technology, and also discovered an increase ß-carotene levels in the rice which is transgenic. GM food even can products new nutrition to the human body more than normal food in technical level. It provides necessary micronutrient and decreases the intake of pernicious matters which means the genetically modified technology can possibly make people healthier and reduce the possibility of suffering disease.