Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were essentially created to make plants impervious to herbicides and insects. Creating GMOs led to the production of plants with tens of thousands of proteins chosen explicitly by human beings in scientific labs. Although there are significant concerns about GMOs, many food industries have used this technology to create foods like corn, dairy products, cereal, and cosmetics products, ultimately leading to controversies. GMO main focus is the impact it may have on human health and the environment at large.
GM foods have been closely researched on their impact on the health of the human body. It is believed that GM foods cause specific mutations and cancerous cells. All this could be attributed to the fact that there is less general knowledge on the long-term effects of GM foods, and there is little to no research on the impact of GM foods on human cell development. The development of GM foods could lead to diseases that are resistant to antibiotics, and this is the case as studies have shown that there has been a steady growth of resistance to antibiotics globally.
The unpredictability of GM foods could have more potential to trigger allergic reactions in some people. These reactions may be caused by the use of cells that contain allergens to create certain foods. Some side effects may lead to the evolution of new allergens in the human population, leading to new diseases that will impact the world. Many religious groups are against the creation of GM foods since they alter cells’ genetic composition, which has led to controversies about a scientist trying to play God.
Genetically modified plants have shown impervious resistance to herbicides and bug infestation, which is among the positive effects of GM foods. Although this is the case, there have been drawbacks that directly affect the environment. The cause of concern is that weeds and insects may eventually develop resistance to herbicides and insecticides respectively, this would contribute to farmers using more chemicals to prevent the growth of weeds and insects on farms. The effects of herbicides on the environment are drastic, let alone the impact of herbicides on human beings, which would result in sterility, cancer, and congenital disabilities.
Although there is a lot said about GM foods and their impact on people’s health, the advantages include providing food security, lower prices for a product, and a faster growth rate of plants compared to traditional plants. GMOs have enabled the growth of plants in areas affected by drought and places where the soil is incompetent for plant growth (Barrell). Growing plants in unfavorable conditions have provided the population with food security, reducing prices since supply is more than demand.
Transgenic foods have a fast growth rate, high nutrients, more minerals, and increased shelf life. Cell mutation has enabled plants to grow at a more rapid pace and increased productivity than their predecessors. Foods modified genetically are also believed to be tastier and have nutrients that help the body. There have been increased nutrients in some foods, which has led to the prevention of some diseases.
Future advancements in the research of genetically modified foods hope that there will be a time when drugs will be infused into foods, bananas will also be infused with vaccines, and animals will have a better growth rate and reduced chance of contracting illnesses. Companies manufacturing GM foods should be informing consumers of the presence of genes in their products, but instead, they are not doing that because the majority of the population does not like GMOs. Everyone is entitled to know what types of foods they are consuming and their effects on their bodies. Better testing should be done on GMOs before they are given to human beings. Better research would lead to avoiding catastrophic health issues caused by these foods.
Work Cited
Barrell, Amanda. “Pros and Cons of GMO Foods: Health and Environment.” Medical and Health Information. Web.