There has been a raging debate in recent years about GMOs. But what actually is a GMO, and is it as bad for you as some people claim?
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This means the organism contains DNA that has been modified in some way, as opposed to being simply left to nature. For example, an organism’s DNA might contain genes that have been artificially inserted, mutated, or deleted.
There are many different types of GMOs, but since I am a dietitian, this article will focus on GMOs in food. GMOs can happen intentionally, when food scientists modify the DNA of a food-producing organism (like a plant or a fruit tree) to make it more resistant to drought, produce more, or contain more nutrients. This can also occur naturally.
Whenever humans start manipulating nature, there is a concern that we will affect something we did not intend. (Witness the amount of zombie apocalypse flicks out there.) There have certainly been times that this very thing has actually occurred. Antibiotics, for example, were a major breakthrough in medicine, and have saved many lives. Unfortunately, they have also contributed to the rise of multi-drug resistant bacteria (a.k.a super bugs). There’s no question that scientific innovations have helped mankind…but the possibility of unintended consequences is always there.
It’s this fear of unintended consequences that make genetically modified food scary to some people. People also tend to fear things that are new and unusual, and genetically modified food seems to fit that bill. As a result, many patients have asked me, “Are GMOs harmful? Can they make me sick?” It’s natural to be wary, and it’s smart to ask these kinds of questions. But is there any rational, scientific basis to these fears?
Most of the evidence out there suggests the answer is no. For one thing, GMOs are not new. In fact, they have been around since about 1994, over 20 years ago! Since their introduction, over 2,000 studies have been performed on them, and no credible studies have shown a negative effect. In fact, GMOs have been studied more extensively than almost any other scientific subject in history. Many, if not most, scientific organizations have proclaimed the safety of genetically modified food. To quote the American Association for the Advancement of Science:
“The science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe. The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization that has examined the evidence has come to the same conclusion: consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques.”
So, is there a reason to worry about them? While more study on the long-term effects of GMOs is needed, there is currently no evidence to show they are dangerous. On the contrary, GMOs have actually had a positive effect on our ability to produce more, higher quality foods.
Of course, none of this means that you need or should eat genetically modified food. If you have any concerns, or oppose GMOs for some other reason, that’s fine! There are alternatives out there. In this day and age, as food labeling becomes more and more prevalent, and as people take more time to educate themselves on what goes into their stomachs, it’s easy to find healthy food that doesn’t come with any question marks.
Which leads me to the main point of this article. As people take more time to educate themselves, they are learning more and more that there are chemicals, additives, and ingredients in our food that can be potentially harmful. For example:
- Trans-fat—there is so much evidence on the negative effects of trans-fat that the FDA is considering an all-out ban
- Certain artificial sweeteners—some have been proven to be carcinogenic (they cause cancer)
- Antibiotics—there is increasing evidence that antibiotics in food are more harmful than we once thought (I’ll cover this in a future article)
- Hormones—these have been shown to have potentially harmful effects, particularly in children
These are all common things found in our food supply that we should worry far more about than GMOs…because they actually have been proven to be harmful. If you have any questions about these things and how to avoid them, give me a call! I’d be happy to discuss them with you. Through Salt Lake NutriCoaching, I offer meal planning, diet analysis, and grocery store tour services, all designed to help you find food that’s both good to eat and good for you.
In summary, feel free to continue to prepare for the zombie apocalypse – just know that it won’t be caused by GMOs.