Martinez 1 The Benefits of Genetically Modified Cows

When you first hear the words genetically modified an image of Frankenstein or a to ic! radioacti"e animal may come to mind# Most $eo$le are sur$rised to disco"er that this is a highly skewed $erce$tion of its true scientific a$$lications# Today%s society has $laced a large em$hasis on the im$ortance of maintaining a healthy diet# &n order to meet this demand scientists ha"e concluded that it is necessary to $roduce more "ia'le! healthier cro$s# (esearchers continue to work with altering the genetic codes of cro$s to achie"e those two standards# )imilarly! the genetic modification of animals o$ens the door for im$ro"ed *uality of consuma'le li"estock and their 'y$roducts# The genetic modification of cows has 'een a long standing $oint of conflict 'etween some mem'ers of the $u'lic and researchers# +lthough there are some indi"iduals who still 'elie"e these alterations are dangerous and to ic! they are ne"ertheless a healthy! 'eneficial choice for creating safer milk with greater nutritional "alue#

Issues ,ue to the fact that cow%s milk $lays such a $rominent role in our daily li"es! indi"iduals who suffer from either a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance may 'e left with little or no chea$! $ractical alternati"es# +n allergy is classified as an a'normal reaction of the 'ody to a $re"iously encountered allergen introduced 'y inhalation! ingestion! in-ection! or skin contact .,ictionary/# &ndi"iduals with a dairy allergy can e $erience se"ere and $otentially fatal reactions such as ana$hyla is .Carder/# +lthough they are $rimarily linked to $roteins! dairy allergies stem from multi$le chemical reaction within the 'ody# The cow milk dairy allergy carries with it nutritional conse*uences and the $ro"ision of a$$ro$riate nutritional ad"ice is im$ortant! .Crittenden/# The reason 'ehind allergies may 'e com$le ! yet the solution to these $ro'lems resides in a sim$le answer! genetically modified cows#

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+ lactose intolerance is the second! and more common! dairy dis$osition found in the 'ody of certain indi"iduals# While the a"erage $erson has a digesti"e systems e*ui$$ed to handle large amounts of lactose! others are not as fortunate# &ndi"iduals with a lactose intolerance lack an enzyme that is crucial to the decom$osition of lactose! a sugar found in cow%s milk .Wangen/# The resulting effects of this deficiency can include! 'ut are not limited to! stomach $ain! nausea! and headaches .Brown/# + lactose intolerance can 'e com'ated through the genetic alteration of s$ecific genetic codes found in the ,1+ of cows# )cientists ha"e $ro"en that they are ca$a'le of $roducing modifications that would decrease the le"els of lactose contained in the milk# +lthough there are medicines that hel$ to com'at lactose intolerance! they are not cost effecti"e nor do they $ro"ide a $ermanent solution to the issue#

With a large $ortion of safe! genetically2modified cro$s already 'eing used and de"elo$ed! the interest s$read# &f the $u'lic was more aware of the health 'enefits and the safe $rocedures in"ol"ed they could $romote action in the Food and ,rug +dministration# This action would hel$ to increase testing and im$lementation of the genetic alteration $erformed on animals# 3f course there should also 'e a $ush for more esta'lished guidelines in the field as well# These acts would demonstrate they are aware of any risk and danger# )cientists ha"e disco"er and that the $ossi'ility to alter the cows in order to $roduce non allergenic milk e ists# +s it a$$lies to cows! genetic modification is the $rocess 'y which animals ha"e their genetic code of ,1+ artificially altered through the addition or reduction of $roteins .Tre"or )tokes/# These genetic modifications ha$$en on a microsco$ic scale and only target the desired traits# The o$erations are $reformed 'y s$ecialist known as genetic engineer .Bernstein/#

Misconceptions 4"en though an informed citizen can now rule out the $ossi'ility of a Frankenstein! there are

Martinez 5 some $eo$le who 'elie"e that genetically2modified animals $ose a risk to the *uality of the meats and milk $roduced 'y the cows# 3n the contrary! scientists and researchers work meticulously to reduce the $ro'a'ility of diseases and other im$erfections that can 'e found naturally in cow%s milk# Their ultimate goal 'eing to eliminating them altogether# 3ther mem'ers of society fear the creation of new to ins that may 'e harmful to humans is a $ossi'ility# This howe"er! is irrational $rimarily 'ecause the influence of the to ins would 'e distinguished through la'oratory research 'efore it is a$$ro"al for consum$tion .Gray/# 1o harm is done to the animals 'ecause the genetic alterations and modification are done 'efore its 'irth# The $rocess may not 'e natural! 'ut it is certainly safe and creates "irtually normal offs$ring# &n fact! research into disease resistance could also hel$ to $re"ent de"astating out'reaks that can threaten a country%s entire farming industry! like foot and mouth and 'luetongue .Gray/#

Nutrients For the indi"iduals who are fortunate enough not to $osses any serious $redis$ositions to current cow milk! there is only to look a little dee$er and find good reason for their genetic alteration# +s )ociety continues to raise its demands form cow milk 'ecome higher and higher! the $otential for error is 'ound to de"elo$# 3ne such case is due to the differences in $rotein structure that are e $ressed in cow%s milk and humans# These differences that occur may 'ecome dangerous 'ecause the com$osition of cow%s milk has the a'ility to $otentially cause $ro'lems resulting from unhealthy nutrients# These $ro'lems can include 'ut are not limited to issues with digestion! consum$tion of e cessi"e amounts of fat! and harm our 'odies e"en though they are not well known .6almer/# ,ue to the fact that societies demands are changing! it is im$ortant that cow%s milk change as well in order to 'est suit the $u'lic#

+s a whole! milk is a sta$le of +merican society# 3n a molecular le"el there is often other

Martinez 7 im$erfections that can result from its high demand# 3ne im$erfection is a result of the im$aired a'sor$tion of other nutrients due to her'icides! $esticides .and anything else the cow eats that is not good for any critter/! that winds u$ getting stored in 89M+1 fat .Wickham/# This current method of adding synthetic her'icides to $rocess is necessary as a result of a cows natural ina'ility to defend against such in"asi"e 'acteria on it own# Milk can also 'e recycled through a factory $asteurization $rocess u$ to : times to kill these 'acteria# The $rocess consists of e $osing the milk to high tem$eratures and often what remains is mostly white water without any nutrients .Caceres/# 3nce again research shows that genetically altered cows can 'e corrected to fight these $otentially harmful factors as while $roducing a healthier end $roduct#

)ome indi"iduals may not yet 'e con"inced that cows $lay such a $rominent role in our e"ery day li"es# To $ut such ske$ticism to rest one must look at the statistics surrounding the matter# )ociety%s de$endency on dairy can 'e clearly seen when one e amines the fact that cow%s milk and its deri"ati"es today make u$ one2third of the adult diet! and half to two2thirds of caloric intake in children .6almer/# + result of this de$endency is that the em$hasis on other im$ortant nutrients 'ecomes se"erely reduced# &t is im$ortant to maintain that idea of a healthy diet society has set in order to li"e longer! more fulfilling li"es# This creates a $redicament that lea"es the $u'lic to wonder how they can reach this goal of health and 'alance their milk intake $ro$erly#

+ll of these $ro'lems can 'e corrected through the safe alteration of cow genetics# These alteration would allow the milk that is $roduced to 'e 'etter suited for human consum$tion .6almer)# Modifications of the cow%s genetic code is the sim$le method for correcting the susce$ti'ilities to 'acteria# )cientist can also modify the cow%s $roteins such that it resem'les human Brest milk# Chinese researchers claim the key is a $articular $rotein ; called lysozyme .6arry/# +rtificial 'rest milk can

Martinez : $lay an im$ortant role for mother who are una'le to $ro"ide their own milk for their children# This alteration of -ust this $articular $rotein would allow for the safe $roduction of cow milk that is healthy for all humans and does not cut out the "arious nutrients needed to maintain a 'alanced diet# With the de"elo$ment of current methods and sciences it 'ecome that sim$le#

Fixed on Cattle Many $eo$le wonder< Why cows= When there are other alternati"es such as goat milk# To answer this *uestion takes nothing more than a look at the sim$licity and lack of risk in"ol"ed in the genetic alteration $rocess# The methods for altering genetics of dairy cows are rather similar to those that were used to successfully clone a shee$ .Gray/# )cientists can use their disco"eries in correlation with each other to kee$ cows as the $rimary source for milk since they are already 'red for 'eef# There would 'e many difficulties in"ol"ed with esta'lishing entire farms for the $ur$ose of har"esting goat milk when there is almost no demand for other 'y$roducts $roduced 'y goats#

Beef is also under the microsco$e of researchers# 9nlike $ork where leaner is 'etter! a good amount of muscle fat content is one of the key elements when it comes to characterizing 'eef *uality> +fter more research it may 'e $ossi'le to achie"e ideal mar'ling of meat in domestic cattle and $ro"ide an alternati"e to im$orted high2grade meat .(ichard Gray/# While the studies on genetically modified 'eef ha"e a few years of testing to go! the ho$es of 'ringing meat *uality to higher standards in fla"or and health are currently incu'ating in minds of researchers as well as the $u'lic# &f de"elo$ment continues down its current $ath! the $rice of these good will dro$ su'stantially due to the common factor of high2e $ense resources needed to meet societies with $esticides and steroids#

+fter e amining why genetically altered cows are the clear choice for our dairy source! it is

Martinez ? im$ortant to see that the $erks of these modification do not sto$ at food and $ersonal health# The modification of cows can e tend to im$ro"e en"ironmental conditions as well# +nother 'enefit of genetically altered cows is the a'ility to reduce their flatulence# While at first read this may seem insignificant! 'ut with the huge num'er of cows used for 'eef and dairy comes a rather 'ig $rice# The methane $roduced 'y cows accounts for a large $ortion of greenhouse gases .M11/# We often think of cars or other direct human interactions as factors of the greenhouse effect# (esearch show the contrary and in fact! methane%s contri'ution to glo'al warming! is 05 times more $owerful than car'on dio ide.)il"erman/# Green house gases effect the ozone layer and ha"e long lasting effects on the en"ironment# &t is im$ortant to take care of the en"ironment we li"e in not -ust for our health! 'ut the many generation after us as well# &t should 'ecome a$$arent that such a small genetic alteration can ha"e such a huge effect on a glo'al scale#

Staying Informed There are many common misconce$tions a'out what occurs with genetic alterations# &n reality genetic alterations are highly researched $rocesses that aim to create a safer healthier food su$$ly and en"ironment# &t is im$ortant for society to make informed decisions in regards to the alteration of cows! and any other food sources# These informed decisions will lead to the $roduction of milk that no longer causes allergic reactions or digesti"e discomfort# With its current com$osition of chemicals! the increased consum$tion of cow%s milk will lead to health deterioration# (esearchers 'elie"e as more indi"iduals 'ecome informed they will ha"e a stronger $ush for the F,+ to take the necessary ste$s re*uired to make genetic alteration a more acce$ted solution to a rather large $ro'lem# The technology to alter the genetic com$osition of a cow for im$ro"ed dairy 'y$roducts e ists# &t is time to mo"e forward with genetically modified cattle#

Martinez @ Works Cited Bernstein! Aohnathan +# BClinical and Ca'oratory &n"estigation of +llergy to Genetically Modified Foods#B National Center for Biotechnology Information Search Term Search Database .0DD5/E n# $ag# We'# Fhtt$EGGhtt$EGGwww#nc'i#nlm#nih#go"G$mcGarticlesG6MC1071:?DGH# Brown! Audith 4# Nutrition Now# Belmont! C+E WestGWadsworth! 0DDI# Google Books# We'# 0D10# Fhtt$EGG'ooks#google#comG'ooks=idJg22 ('AK'6ikCL$rintsecJfrontco"erLsourceJg'sMat'N"Jone$ageL*LfJfalseH# Caceres! Maria# Timeline Photo# 1#$#E n#$#! n#d# Face'ook $age# Crittenden! (oss G#! 6h,! and Couise 4# Bennett! 6h,# BCowOs Milk +llergyE + Com$le ,isorder#B 0: .0DD:/E n# $ag# Journal Of The merican College Of Nutrition# We'# D5 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGhtt$EGGwww#-acn#orgGcontentG07Gsu$$lM?G:I0)#longH# BCarder! ,mitri#B 6ersonal inter"iew# B,ictionary#B Dictionary!com# ,ictionary#com! n#d# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGdictionary#reference#comGH# Fiocchi! +lessandro! and Aan Brozek# BWorld +llergy 3rganization.W+3/ ,iagnosis and (ationale for +ction against Cow%s Milk +llergy .,(+CM+/ Guidelines#B " O Journal# 1#$#! +$r# 0D1D# We'# D5 1o"# 0D10# Gray! (ichard# BGenetically Modified +nimals#B The Telegra#h# 1#$#! D5 +$r# 0D11# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#telegra$h#co#ukGearthGagricultureGgeneticmodificationGI705@?7GGenetically2 modified2animals2*uestions2and2answers#htmlH# M11# B10 Bizarre 4 am$les of Genetic 4ngineering#B $other Nature Network# 1#$#! 0@ 3ct# 0D1D# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#mnn#comGgreen2techGresearch2inno"ationsG$hotosG102'izarre2 e am$les2of2genetic2engineeringGless2flatulent2cowH#

Martinez I 6almer! Cinda# BThe ,angers of Cow%s Milk 2 The 1atural Child 6ro-ect#B The Dangers of Cow%s $ilk# 1#$#! n#d# We'# 0: 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#naturalchild#orgGguestGlindaMfoldenM$almer#htmlH# 6arry! Wynne# BCows 6roduce Kersion of 8uman Breast Milk#B &i'eScience!com# 1#$#! D7 +$r# 0D11# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#li"escience#comG15:7?2'reast2milk2dairy2lysozyme#htmlH# (ichard Gray# BGenetically Modified Cows Could 6roduce Tastier Beef#B Transgenic Cows Coul( $ake )or Better Beef# 1#$#! 0@ +ug# 0D10# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#redor'it#comGnewsGscienceG1110?I1P?:Ggenetically2engineered2cows2-ing2*in212 -ing2*in202DI0@10GH# )il"erman! Aaco'# B,o Cows 6ollute as Much as Cars=B *owStuff"orks# 1#$#! 0@ +ug# 0D10# We'# 0? 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGscience#howstuffworks#comGen"ironmentalGlifeGzoologyGmammalsGmethane2 cow#htmH# )tokes! Tre"or# BGenetically2engineered Cow Makes 8y$oallergenic Milk#B )o+ News# F3Q 1ews 1etwork! D0 3ct# 0D10# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#fo news#comGhealthG0D10G1DGD0Ggenetically2engineered2cow2makes2 hy$oallergenic2milkGH# Wangen! )te$hen# BCha$ter ?#B The Irritable Bowel Syn(rome Solution# )eattle! W+E &nnate 8ealth Grou$! 0DD?# I:2P1# 6rint# Wickham! Chris# B+nti2+llergy Milk= Cow Genetically 4ngineered To 6roduce Milk With Cess BCG 6rotein#B The *uffington Post# The8uffington6ost#com! D1 3ct# 0D10# We'# 10 1o"# 0D10# Fhtt$EGGwww#huffington$ost#comG0D10G1DGD1Ganti2allergy2milk2genetically2engineered2 cowMnM1P5D1IP#htmlH#