GMO foods: what they are and why they can be harmful

Content:

Transgenic foods, also known as genetically modified foods, are those that have parts of DNA from other living organisms mixed with their own DNA.

The genetic modification of certain foods is done with the aim of increasing their resistance against diseases caused by insects or fungi and reducing the need for pesticides, improving the nutritional quality and quantity of the food produced. For example, some plants contain DNA from bacteria, plants or fungi that produce natural herbicides, making them better protected against crop pests.

However, some studies [ 1 ], [ 2 ] indicate that GM foods may present some health risks, such as increasing the occurrence of allergies, antibiotic resistance and increasing the intake of pesticides, for example.

because they are produced

The main objectives with the production of transgenic foods are:

  • Improve the quality of the final product, with a greater amount of nutrients, for example;
  • Increase resistance to pests and droughts, reducing the need for pesticides and losses during food cultivation;
  • Assist in the production of food for therapeutic purposes ;
  • Reduce the price, improving the accessibility of food;
  • Increase food production and shelf life .

However, to produce transgenic food, producers need to buy seeds from genetic engineering companies and, therefore, the final value of the transgenic product can be the same or higher than the conventional one.

What are GMO foods?

The main transgenic foods sold in the world are soy, corn and cotton, which give rise to products such as cooking oil, soy extract, textured soy protein, soy milk, sausage, margarine, breads, cakes and cookies. . In addition, foods that contain corn starch, corn syrup and soy in the composition may also contain GMOs in their composition.

According to Brazilian legislation, the label of foods that contain more than 1% of transgenic components must contain the transgenic identification symbol, which is represented with a yellow triangle with a black “T” in the middle.

Possible health risks

Some studies claim that prolonged consumption of GMO foods can increase the risk of some health problems, including:

  • Promote allergic reactions, due to new proteins that can be produced by transgenics;
  • Increase antibiotic resistance, which contributes to reducing the effectiveness of these drugs in the treatment of bacterial infections;
  • Increase the consumption of pesticides, as transgenic foods may be more resistant to these compounds, requiring greater amounts of this product from the plantations.

Despite the possible health risks with the consumption of transgenic foods, it is important to remember that current studies on the effects of consuming these types of foods for long periods are still inconclusive and contradictory.

Possible damage to the environment

The production of genetically modified foods increases their resistance, which also generates the greatest weed resistance. Therefore, to combat resistant weeds, the excessive use of pesticides in plantations is often necessary, increasing the cost of food production and the risk of soil and water contamination, which will be consumed in greater proportions by the population.

In addition, the high use of pesticides and pesticides can also cause the death of beneficial species for food production, such as bees, earthworms and other plants, and stimulate the appearance of herbs and pests that are more resistant to these substances, making it difficult to control the disease. plantation quality.