What are GMO foods and how do they affect the body?

Genetically modified foods (GM foods) have always been a hot topic of discussion since the day they were discovered. Although many genetic engineering experiments involving various organisms are already well known to modern science, most of us do not even realize that when we consume meat and dairy products, we also consume GMOs contained in animal feed.

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general information

Nowadays, more and more people are trying to eat healthy and pay increased attention to the quality of the products they eat.
This is especially true for parents, since the child’s health directly depends on his diet. In the wake of the popularity of the principles of a healthy lifestyle, so-called pure organic bioproducts have also become in great demand. The inscription on the packaging “non-GMO” has become a kind of sign of high quality, safety and naturalness.

What actually lies under this abbreviation GMO and how is it translated into simple human language? Are genetically modified foods really that bad for our health? We will try to answer these questions further.

Summarize

GMOs are foods that have been modified using genetic engineering.

A large number of products in your local supermarket contain GMO ingredients because they are easier and more economical for farmers, making them cheaper for the consumer.

Foods grown using GMO methods include corn, soybeans, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, cotton, potatoes, papayas, pumpkins and several varieties of apples.

Although current research shows that GMO foods are safe to consume, some people are concerned about their potential health effects. Due to the lack of long-term studies in humans, more research is needed.

What is GMO?

So, what is GMO and, as they say, “what do they eat it with”? Genetically modified organisms (hereinafter GMOs) are organisms whose genome (DNA) has been purposefully changed (improved, supplemented) using genetic engineering methods (source - Wikipedia). It is important to note that changes specifically made by humans to the genotype of such organisms would be impossible in living nature due to the mechanisms of natural recombination and reproduction.

This is due to the fact that most living organisms on Earth develop gradually, i.e. generation after generation, adapting to changing conditions of existence. That is why people have learned to influence the process of evolution of plants and animals in order to use the advanced achievements of genetic engineering for scientific as well as economic purposes.

In principle, the decoding of GMOs itself gives a minimal idea of ​​what a genetically modified product is.

In simple words, this is a product for the production of which genetically improved raw materials were used. For example, bread made from wheat that is resistant to temperature changes, products made from modified soybeans, and so on.

Currently, transgenes , i.e. specific pieces of DNA that scientists insert into the original genome of an organism. The result is transgenic organisms , which, by the way, are capable of passing on improved DNA to their offspring ( transgenesis ).

Genetic engineering has provided modern breeders with an advanced method for improving the DNA of plants and animals. This makes it possible to solve global food problems in those countries where people do not have enough food due to climatic conditions or other unfavorable conditions.

The process of creating GMOs or genome consists of the following main steps:

• isolation of an isolated gene responsible for certain exceptional properties of the organism;
• introduction of genetic material into a nucleic acid molecule (DNA vector) for further transplantation into a cell of a new organism;
• transfer of the vector into the DNA-modified organism;
• cell transformation;
• sampling of GMOs and elimination of unsuccessfully modified organisms.

Genetically modified organisms use:

• In applied and fundamental scientific research. Few people know that thanks to GMOs, scientists are learning more and more every year about the mechanisms of regeneration and aging, about the functioning of the nervous system , as well as about such serious diseases as cancer or Alzheimer's disease .
• In pharmacology and medicine. Genetically engineered insulin was registered in 1982. From that moment on, a new era began in the development of modern medicine. Thanks to breakthroughs in genetic engineering, there are now many life-saving drugs produced from recombinant human proteins, such as vaccines .
• In agriculture and livestock breeding. Breeders use GMOs to create new varieties of plants that will produce greater yields while being resistant to diseases, climate change and other external factors. Improved animal DNA helps protect them from certain diseases. For example, genetically modified pigs do not become infected with African swine fever .

There have been fierce debates over GMOs for a long time. The thing is that opponents of genetically modified products argued that they can cause irreparable harm to human health (provoke the development of cancer , cause mutations ). In addition, the altered DNA of products will have a negative impact on the health of future generations, causing terrible diseases in such genetically modified people.

However, today proponents of genetic engineering have irrefutable evidence of the safety of products improved with transgenes. At the dawn of the development of selective agriculture, scientists such as Michurin tried to improve food plant species using various tricks.

For example, in order to obtain certain properties (resistance to low or high temperatures, drought, lack of useful elements, diseases, as well as parasites), it was necessary to cross or graft cuttings of several plant species, so that ultimately the seeds for planting would have certain qualities. Now all you need to do is add the desired gene to the DNA of the original organism.

If we talk about GMOs in a broad sense, then these are organisms of the future, obtained thanks to the ability of humans to influence the process of evolution. Scientists involved in genetic engineering set themselves noble goals - to provide people all over the earth with food in the required quantities.

And this is really not easy to do, because there are places where it is really very difficult to grow crops or raise livestock for food. So, we learned how the abbreviation GMO stands for, now let’s talk about the painful stuff.

Literature

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2. Kazantseva A. Someone is wrong on the Internet! M.: CORPUS, 2021. - 376 pp.;
3. CRISPR systems have been found that use reverse transcription;
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5. CRISPR systems: immunization of prokaryotes;
6. Mutagenic chain reaction: genome editing on the verge of science fiction;
7. Liang P., Xu Y., Zhang X., Ding C., Huang R., Zhang Z. et al. (2015). CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in human tripronuclear zygotes. Protein Cell. 6, 363–372;
8. Vogel G. (2015). Embryo engineering alarm. Science. 347, 1301–1301;
9. Cure Duchenne muscular dystrophy: group competition, unity of methods;
10. Panchin A. Sum of biotechnology. M.: CORPUS, 2021. - 432 pp.;
11. Elements: “Transgenic cotton helped Chinese peasants defeat a dangerous pest”;
12. Matt R. Genome. Autobiography of a species in 23 chapters. M.: EKSMO, 2015. - 432 p.

Harm and benefits of GMOs

As we found out above, GMO products contain components of genetically modified organisms. It turns out that not only the fruits and vegetables themselves and grains (corn, potatoes, rye, wheat, soybeans, and so on) can be called GMO food, but also the products in which they are found.

For example, soy sausages or liver sausage, baked goods, ketchup, sauces, mayonnaise, sweets, and so on. It is important to note that meat from cattle or poultry fed with GMO plants cannot be classified as genetically modified products.

It was previously assumed that altered cells of genetically modified foods are capable of integrating into the DNA of the organism that consumes them. However, as scientists have proven, this statement is false. Any food, even if it contains GMOs, under the influence of gastric juice and enzymes, breaks down in the human body into fatty acids , sugars, amino acids and triglycerides .

This means that regular foods, like genetically modified ones, are equally digestible and do not cause harm to health. Another talk about the connection between GMO products and the risk of developing cancer , as well as mutations at the DNA level, has been debunked by the scientific community.

In 2005, domestic scientists conducted an experiment on mice and received sad results. As it turned out, the mortality rate of mice from cancer that ate genetically modified soybeans increased sharply. Similar experiments were carried out around the world.

Researchers were in a hurry to publish the sensational results of their observations, sometimes forgetting to double-check everything thoroughly. The media, in a constant state of pursuit of “fried facts,” relished this topic for several years and wrote exclusively about the possible harm of GMOs.

Indeed, only a few tried to understand the issue without emotions and get to the truth. As a result, mass hysteria about GMOs reached its apogee and hundreds of thousands of people around the world firmly believed that there was nothing more terrible in their lives than genetically modified foods .

On forums on the Internet, at home in the kitchen, on the street and in the store, mothers shared their concerns about baby food, which contains ominous GMOs. Grandmothers could not sleep peacefully and thought only about the benefits and harms of Nesquik cocoa, chocolate and other sweets that their grandchildren love so much, and fathers and grandfathers lamented the “no longer the same” meat products and chemical bread.

In fact, recently scientists have not been able to find evidence that eating GMOs increases the risk of developing cancer or other diseases. And all previously conducted experiments could not resist comprehensive criticism and verification.

It turned out that the mice and rats that were used to conduct the experiments also died en masse both when GMOs and regular food were used in their diet. The problem was not with the fruits of genetic engineering, but with this particular species of rodents used in laboratory research. They are genetically more susceptible to cancer, regardless of diet.

According to the World Health Organization, talking about the dangers of GMO products can only be based on the results of specific studies of one type or another. Available worldwide, genetically modified products undergo rigorous quality and safety controls. They are consumed as food by entire isolated nations without any massive negative consequences, and therefore can be considered safe.

In fairness, it is worth talking about some, albeit not fatal, but still negative aspects associated with GMOs:

• It has been proven that where genetically modified plants once grew, conventional varieties will never be able to grow again. This is due to the fact that the soil where GMO plants grow is poisoned by pesticides, herbicides and other toxic compounds used in agriculture to combat pests and diseases. They kill conventional crops, but cannot harm genetically modified crops.
• GMO plants can accumulate toxic substances (pesticides, poisons).
• Due to changes in DNA structure, not only the positive, but also some negative properties of plants are enhanced. For example, GMO soybeans or potatoes can cause a persistent allergic reaction .
• GMO plants displace other varieties of their species. This is due to the peculiarity of their pollination.
• GMO plant seeds are disposable material that does not produce offspring. This is an important point that is primarily related to commerce. When the state switches exclusively to GMO plants, abandoning its own crops, it automatically becomes dependent on seed producing companies.

Danger of HMF

Typically, buyers avoid GMP for the following reasons:

• wariness of crossing different organisms with each other;
• artificiality;
• fears of becoming infected with unknown genes;
• unknown reaction of the body to such products (decreased immunity, development of cancer cells).

Based on studies by 500 independent scientific groups, the European Commission concluded that GMF are equally dangerous to humans as products grown in natural conditions. Genetically modified food is not integrated into the human genome and does not change it.

According to WHO, all such products are completely safe for humans, because undergo thorough inspection before sale.

Some experts are still fighting this category of products. But their arguments have no evidence or scientific justification.

List of GMO products

In 20016, more than a hundred world-famous scientists (chemists, biologists, doctors), including Nobel laureates, sent an open letter to the UN and Greenpeace with a request to stop the persecution of GMOs. Even devout Jews have recognized genetically modified products as kosher, Muslims that they are halal, and the Catholic Church says that it is GMOs that will help solve the food problem in the world.

However, if you still want to know what exactly you are eating, then below is a list of manufacturers who use GMOs and their trade names in their products.

This is not an exhaustive list of trade names and manufacturers that use GMOs. Since many people have a very negative attitude towards genetically modified organisms, not all companies want to spoil their image and openly declare that they use the achievements of genetic engineering. And although the problem of GMOs is overblown, and the harm from such products is clearly exaggerated, only the person himself can decide for himself whether to eat them or not.

What objects are subject to genetic modification

Most GMO products are of plant origin. All of them undergo official registration before entering the market. 28 crops (333 varieties) are approved. The main group consists of cotton, soybeans, corn, canola, alfalfa, canola, potatoes, sugar beets, pumpkin, paprika, tomato, and rice.

Typically, the purpose of genetic modification when processing crops is to increase resistance to pests and herbicides. 28 countries (USA, Argentina, Canada, Brazil, India) are involved in the cultivation of GMOs. In total, 10% of the world's fertile land is devoted to genetically modified plants.

In 2015, a GMO animal appeared on the market for the first time - salmon.

In addition, GMOs are widely used in production. Such products are added to chocolate, cheeses, ice cream, canned food, baby food, breakfast cereals, margarine, yoghurts, confectionery, flour, dietary supplements, sweet drinks, sauces, chips. The finished product must be labeled with the use of GMOs. It is almost impossible for the consumer to independently determine the composition of the product.