GMOs: Pros and Cons, Backed by Evidence

    As of 2024, according to the USDA, 90% of all corn, cotton, and soy grown in the United States are genetically modified organisms (GMOs), meaning that many of the foods you eat likely contain GMOs. The article, written by Ryan Raman and medically reviewed by Katherine Marengo, discusses the basics of GMOs as well as their pros and cons backed by scientific evidence. GMOs refer to organisms with DNA modified using genetic engineering technologies. The author stated that: “In the food industry, GMO crops have had genes added to them for various reasons, such as improving their growth, nutritional content, sustainability, pest resistance, and ease of farming”. 

    The advantages of GMO crops are that they have genes that protect them from pests and insects, improve survival and yield, enhance flavor, and improve nutritional content. Despite the advantages of GMOs, many concerns involve allergies, cancer, and environmental issues. While current research suggests that there are few risks associated with this type of food, extensive studies should be conducted to provide more evidence supporting the benefits of GMOs and determine whether their benefits outweigh any potential cons. 

WORKS CITED

Raman, R. (2024). GMOs: Pros and Cons, Backed by Evidence. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gmo-pros-and-cons

U.S. Food & Drugs Administration (2024). GMO Crops, Animal Food, and Beyond. U.S. Food & Drugs Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond

USDA Regulation of CRISPR-edited Crops

The USDA or the United States Department of Agriculture has restrictions on GMO crops that contain artificially inserted genes from other species. However, the USDA recently released a statement that they will not regulate plants that have been modified using genome editing. This includes the somewhat recent technology of CRISPR genome editing. CRISPR or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, these can be programmed to target specific stretches of genetic code and edit it at precise locations. The USDA did clarify that they will not oversee the use of these plants, as long as they could have been developed using traditional breeding methods, such as cross breeding. The only difference should be the speed at which the trait is introduced. It is unclear whether these special gene-edited plants will require special labeling once they hit the shelves; however, it seems that if it is a gene introduced that could naturally have been breed in then it would not.
This is shocking to me, not because the crops would pose any risk to human health but because governments love to regulate things. I don't really see the downside of regulating these crops but I suppose that if the genes could been introduced naturally then it makes sense that they would not be regulated. Very interesting though, I think there will be more backlash from this once these crops get closer to being on the market. I don't think a person without a background in science would really understand what they are doing so they probably will at least want the foods labeled.

https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/52209/title/USDA-Will-Not-Regulate-CRISPR-Edited-Crops/
https://www.broadinstitute.org/what-broad/areas-focus/project-spotlight/questions-and-answers-about-crispr

You Are What Your Mom Eats

In an article posted on the NewsMedical website, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have made some remarkable discoveries that help explain how the diets of pregnant mothers in the days and weeks around the time of conception may affect genetic function in their children, and ultimately their children's health. Lead by molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland, investigators examined the gene functions of 50 healthy children living in rural villages in the West African nation of The Gambia.

Specifically, Waterland was examining the effects of nutrition on what geneticists refer to as "epigenetic mechanisms" which impact the levels at which DNA methylation, occurs at regions of certain genes. Their studies revealed higher levels of DNA methylation at regions of five genes in children conceived during the peak rainy season months, when food would typically have been less available to mothers.

“We thought that peak rainy season hunger would lower levels of DNA methylation in children conceived at that time, but we found exactly the opposite. We don’t yet know why that happens, but we have more detailed studies under way that may give us the answer.”

Waterland stated that, two of the five elevated genes warrant further study because they are associated with risk of disorders such as Tourette's syndrome and hypothyroidism.

I struggle with Tourette's syndrome myself so this article was of particular interest to me. However, I do not think it had much to do with whether my mother conceived me during the rainy seasons in New Jersey. After reading this article, I am curious though as to whether or not her diet may have had any impact. I also have a hyperthyroid but here they are referring to hypothyroidism. Either way, both are closely related thyroid disorders.