Genetically Modified Foods - What Are They and Why Should We Be Concerned?

Genetically modified foods, also called GM foods, are animals or plants that are genetically modified by inserting DNA from another organism to produce an end product with certain desirable traits. The DNA, or gene, is taken from a different species than the one that it is being inserted into.

GM foods, are used to make foods resistant to herbicides, pesticides and insects. Also, they are used to prolong ripening time and increase yields. Some products are being "enriched' with added vitamins. Enriched products is another topic altogether. For this article, I'm going to stick with the controversies surrounding genetically modified foods.

Most of the benefits of GM foods are for everyone involved except the consumer. Producing GM foods is expensive, who pays for it? The consumer pays for the cost. Food prices have been increasing at alarming rates since the 1990's when GM foods were first introduced. We have been consuming them for 17 years. Most people don't even know these foods exist, let alone that they are consuming these foods every day. Most are not labeled as such. If you buy processed foods, you are consuming them, as processed food companies buy GM foods because they don't spoil as quickly.

There are two areas of concern known to human health. One is that allergic reactions to the GM foods could develop in certain individuals. The second one is that the bacteria in the human stomach and intestines could become resistant to antibiotics due to a marker gene used in certain GM foods that are consumed.

Do you think that the recent years of antibiotic resistance to certain bacteria has anything to do with the widely use of these? It is something to think about. Also, something else to think about, why are so many children today suffering from allergies?

Another area for concern is that when these GM plants and animals breed, they pass on the newly introduced genes to their offspring. What kind of plants and animals will develop generations later? How do we know that the genes that are introduced into these plants and animals are not being introduced into our own genes? We are what we eat. How do we know that it is safe to eat these foods? How do we know that modifying certain foods doesn't take away from their original nutritional value? These are many questions that have alternative health practitioners concerned, and so should we!

I believe God created everything we need on this earth for our survival and health. God created things how he intended them to be. I think genetically modified foods are harmful to human health in ways that haven't been discovered yet or proven.

As a consumer, we should have a choice whether to purchase GM foods or not to purchase them. We don't have a choice, because they are not marked or labeled as so. The only way to be sure that you are eating non-genetically modified food is if you purchase organic foods or home or locally grown foods. But sometimes that is not always possible.

There are other areas of concern with the use of GM foods that I have not covered. If you are interested in learning more about this subject, I have included some links that you might find helpful.

http://organicconsumers.com
http://www.psrast.org

Heather Mankey, Alternative Medicine Major

[http://www.cureremedies.net]

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