THE IMPACT OF GMO ON HUMAN HEALTH

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 WHAT İS THE GMO ?
“Genetically Modified Organism" (GMO) are new agricultural
and animal products whose genetic characteristics are improved
and developed by scientists in the laboratory environment of plants
and animals using modern biotechnological methods.
According to this definition, for example, the more milk the cow
gives, the more yoghurt and cheese production indirectly increases.
Of pears by making shepherd's vaccine to the ahlat tree on the
mountain as an example.

tree grafting
 The objectives of GMO are:
1-)Plant and animals can grow in places other than their natural habitats.

2-) It can become resistant to insects Ability to grow in harsh weather conditions

3-)More products can be obtained (such as cow's milk)

4-)These techniques are used to insert genes into the DNA of a plant or animal or to
extract genes from these DNA.

For example, food engineers have injected the gene of a bacterium known as Bacillus
thuringiensis into the DNA of corn. The Bt gene expresses a protein that kills insects,
and this gene transferred to corn allowed it to self-produce poison against insects.
 FOODS CONTAINING GMO'S
1. Soybeans :About 90% of the soybeans found in grocery stores have been modified to be
resistant to foreign plant-killing chemicals. Increasing resistance to these chemicals has forced
farmers to use more drugs to kill weeds.
2. Corn :Corn is also one of the most genetically modified crops. For example, in America, half
of the farmers use GMO seeds.
3. Cotton: Cotton is also genetically modified to gain resistance to diseases. it is one of the
products.
4. Milk :Cows are injected with growth hormone to grow faster and to increase their
productivity.
5. Sugar : Sugar canes are also genetically modified in many countries to gain resistance.
6. Aspartame: Aspartame is also used as an artificial sweetener by many people instead of
sugar is used.Aspartame is produced from genetically modified bacteria.
Apart from these, plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, rice, wheat, pumpkin, sunflower,
tobacco and sugar beet are also produced as GMOs. packaged foods such as chocolate, cola,
carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, instant soup, ready-made cakes, sausage, salami,
sausages are the products we eat without knowing that they are gmo.On the other hand,
GMO studies are continuing in products such as raspberries, watermelons, peppers, melons,
pineapples.
 Health associated with GMO foods
The three major health risks potentially associated with GM foods are: toxicity, allergenicity, and
genetic hazards. These arise from three potential sources; the inserted gene and their expressed
proteins (using DNA information), the effects of gene expression products, and the possible
disruption of natural genes in the organism.
The results of most studies with gmo foods indicate that they can cause some common toxic
effects, such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal or reproductive effects, and change hematological,
biochemical and immunological parameters.
Modification of its natural components through GMO can aggravate allergies in the human body.
As an example, it is the production of soybeans enriched in the amino acid methionine . The
improved synthesis of this amino acid is the result of a gene isolated from Brazil nuts . As a
result, some consumers with allergic sensitivity to these nuts show allergic reactions to
transgenic soybeans.
Commercially grown and field-tested crops are made resistant to a virus that can
destroy most of its harvest, other crops with high iron and vitamins that can
alleviate chronic malnutrition, and various plants that can survive extreme weather
conditions.it is estimated that the person who consumes this product is genetically
endangering his health.

In addition, the presence of antibiotic resistance genes in GM foods negatively

affects human health due to the fact that as a result of research, it was found that
they have the potential to play a role in the formation of cancer.
Potential Benefits of GMO
1.Increasing the Amount of Nutrients and Enriching their Content : By increasing
the amino acids of nutrients such as methionine, lysine, an increase in protein
quality is achieved. The production of rice rich in vitamin A can be given as an
example for nutrient enrichment.
2.Ensuring drug production : After recombinant DNA technology separates the
human DNA, it separates the relevant DNA, called plasmid, from the bacterium
using bacterial cells. The relevant human DNA is connected to the plasmid DNA
and the recombination event is carried out. The contribution is made to the field
of health by producing pharmaceutical substances with these bacteria.
3.Use of Nutrients for Vaccination Purposes: Thanks to the gene to be transferred
to plants, pathogenic microorganisms are being obtained from various plants and
it is being tried to use plants as vaccines.
 4.Benefits Due to the Decrease in the Use of Herbicides and Pesticides : Weeds
are in competition with cultivated plants in terms of water, mineral substances
and space. Herbicides ( weed killer drugs) are used for this competition.China has
also led to positive developments in the health problems of pest-resistant cotton
producers. With the decrease in the use of pesticides, the mixing of these drugs
into drinking water is also prevented.
5.Increasing Resistance to Environmental Conditions: It is claimed that plants
are made resistant to harsh conditions by producing genetically modified plants
that are resistant to various environmental factors such as salinity, pH,
temperature, freezing and drought.
The potential risks of GMO
1.Toxic Effects : It can reveal the innate toxin genes found in the structure of
foods and there may be an accidental increase in the level of toxins.This also
increases the risk of cancer in the human body.
2.Antibiotic Resistance Genes: Resistant genes are genes that are transferred with
the original gene that wants to be transferred and used to determine whether this
transfer is successful.If the antibiotic-resistant genes are transferred to harmful
microorganisms, it will become difficult to control infections caused by these
bacteria.
3. Changes in Nutritional Value: Genetically modified foods may have a decrease
in the content of nutrients. In a study conducted on soy, it was found that
phytoostrogens decreased by 12-15% in GM soy, increasing the vitamin A
content of canola caused a decrease in the level of vitamin E.
 4.Risks from the Point of View of Agricultural Areas and the Environment: After
harvesting the plant seeds, it is necessary to resume the normal development of the
plant by sowing these seeds again. But with the various processes applied, although
the product receives the product in the year it was planted, the seed that the producer
will use in the next year is not formed. Sometimes a seed Decanter is taken, but the
seeds can only become active when they are combined with some chemicals that
allow them to germinate.
5.Extinction of Biological Diversity: Gene escape is the transfer of genes from a
GMO product to another product through pollens or wind without human control.
With these transfers, it can cause some plants to encounter destructive genes and
cause the extinction of that plant species.It has been determined that there are gene
escapes from corn grown in the protected area and traditional farmer varieties from
foreign weed-resistant canola, its wild relative mustard and GMO corn in nature,
where the characteristics of BT corn are mixed.
The question of whether people should eat foods derived from genetically modified
organisms clearly cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".After more than
20 years of monitoring by countries and researchers around the world, many of the
doubts about the effects of GMOs on organ health, our future and our DNA have
been addressed and tested. in the data discussed, there was no conclusion to be
given that GMOs should definitely not be consumed harmful in one generation or in
many generations. At the same time, GMO foods have the potential to solve many
of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems and help protect the environment
by increasing yields (reducing pesticide dependence).
In our country, the use of genetically modified seeds in agricultural production is
prohibited. This is due to the uncontrolled spread of seeds of this nature into the
environment with their dominant reproductive and spreading potential and the
possibility of threatening the rich plant biodiversity of Anatolia. It has allowed the
import of 3 soy and 14 corn genes in Turkey to be used only for feed purposes.
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