SCI 200 Project Part One: Second Draft
Jennifer Moore
Applied Natural Science
SCI-200
Professor James Rogers
August 7, 2022
SCI 200 Project Part One: Second Draft
Introduction
Genetically modified foods (GMOs) are relatively new forms of plant or food propagation in the field of agriculture. As a new science, GMO production is full of conflicting viewpoints regarding its implications to human health. First, it is ideal to understand that GMOs have primarily played a great role in food security. Genetic modification has enhanced the productivity, as well as the ability for these products to survive harsh environmental conditions. GM foods also have a longer shelf-life. Consequently, they have enhanced food sufficiency and curbed malnutrition. However, the world is facing an unprecedented crisis characterized by a surge in lifestyle diseases. Therefore, there are areas that scientists can draw a line on whether the foods are safe for consumption or not. Less data is available to indicate whether or not GMOs have adverse impacts on human health. According to Hilbeck et al., (2015), there is not scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs. On the other hand Bian et al (2021) there is insufficient information linking GMOs to lifestyle diseases. Even though these sources dispute the negative implications of GMO foods, Zhang et al., (2016) posits that GMOs can cause health problems such as allergies and poisoning although the information available is insufficient to point out the negative impacts of GMOs on human health. The specific question to ask is; could these diseases be as a result of the rise in consumption of GMOs?
Audience
GMO is an issue of concern among different populations including children, teenagers, youths and adults. Professionally, physicians are the primary audience that the study of GMOs and their impacts on human healthy should be directed to. Physicians would be most interested since they handle patients who present different problems in hospital facilities each day. As such, they can observe the different symptoms presented by the patients, as well as check the medical history of their patients, and ask some life style questions so as to piece together the impact of GMOs on human health. Studies indicate that poor product labelling and the lack of sufficient funding has hampered researchers from analyzing the health implications of GMO consumption. Therefore, using this approach where physicians conduct research from the patient log, we are able to save on cost as well acquire more reliable information on the safety of GMOs.
Moreover, this message is suitable for physicians because it highlights the background of the problem of study, the challenges of conducting credible scientific, and the importance of involving physicians in this study. Since physicians interact with all manner of patients, and since they are learned people who rely on science in the delivery of their services, it will be very easy for them to understand scientific terminologies. Thus, by using relevant statistics, and scientific terminologies to package this message, the relevant audience will easily understand the issue of GMO and how it impacts human health.
According to the article “No Scientific Consensus on GMO Safety” by Hilbeck et al., 2015, research on the health implications of GMO products has been hampered by so many factors. Due to insufficient research occasioned by funding constraints, some inconclusive recommendations have been made purporting that GMOs are safe for consumption; an idea heavily contested in the article. More so, in the article “Genetically engineered crops: experience and prospects” by Bian posits that, there is no sufficient evidence to link GMOs to lifestyle diseases. This is because it is difficult to model diseases occurrence from the consumption of a certain food. Moreover, conducting experiments on metabolites of GM plants is such a daunting task, and no conclusive evidence can be gathered. However, it is safe to say that GM plants have decreased diseases due to limiting the use of herbicides which pose dangers to human beings.
According to the article, “Genetically modified foods: A critical review of their promise and problems” by Zhang et al., (2016) the authors imbues that GMO foods result in health problems such as genetic hazards, allergies, and poisoning. However, the article also acknowledges the fact that it is difficult to confirm some concerns as there is insufficient research on the safety of GMOs. From the three sources discussed, it is evident that they all acknowledge that research on the safety of GMO products is inconclusive and no assumptions should be made, hence the need to observe precautionary principles. Nevertheless, these resources significantly highlights the strides that have been made in refuting or affirming the safety of GMO products, and the challenges to this effect.
Principle
Gene manipulation is the main reason why GMOs are dangerous to human health. Manipulating of genes results in an interruption in the normal functioning of cells. Consequently, in order for the system to cope with the foreign gene, some mutations and readjustments take place. The consequences of gene expression are the potential development or aggravation of lifestyle diseases such as allergy, such as was experienced with star link maize (Zhang et al., 2016). Therefore, to identify and document similar connections of GMOs to ill-health, more research has to be conducted on various products and how they interrupt normal body functioning (Bian, 2021). This could be possible and more convenient if done from all health facilities by physicians and other medical professionals.
Conclusion
GMOs promote lifestyle diseases by altering the genetic constitution of organisms. To ensure credible and well researched evidence to support the hypothesis, more research has to be conducted on the response of the human body and plant to genetic modification. The variabilities that result due to endogenic modifications and the resistance that is developed to bacteria and other drugs should be modelled and extrapolated to reflect the potential health implications on the human genetic composition (Zhang et al., 2016). To clear the anxiety and baseless assumptions harbored by the public, it is vital that conclusive research is conducted and published for public use.
References
Bian, D. D. Y. X. K. J. G. G. Z. M. Q. I. F. A. Y. I. (2021). Genetically engineered crops: experience and prospects (Chinese Edition). Science Press.
Hilbeck, A., Binimelis, R., Defarge, N., Steinbrecher, R., Székács, A., Wickson, F., Antoniou, M., Bereano, P. L., Clark, E. A., Hansen, M., Novotny, E., Heinemann, J., Meyer, H., Shiva, V., & Wynne, B. (2015). No scientific consensus on GMO safety. Environmental Sciences Europe, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-014-0034-1
Zhang, C., Wohlhueter, R., & Zhang, H. (2016). Genetically modified foods: A critical review of their promise and problems. Food Science and Human Wellness, 5(3), 116–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2016.04.002