Scientific sources proving that genetically modified food is harmful for consumption?

Question

Link me please...apparently my college nutrition teacher is not satisfied with the amount of science in my paper. She's going to fail me because she disagrees with my argument. She strongly believes that there is nothing wrong with all genetically engineered foods. Help??

Answer 1

You can find everything you need to educate your ignorant teacher in a web search for "genetically modified foods" + "health effects".

After you present your findings with scientific evidence she will have to give you an A.  You certainly don't deserve an F because she is ignorant.  She needs to be educated by someone like yourself.  

Hopefully she is not one of those immovable objects or brick walls who refuse to budge regardless of the evidence.

Answer 2

Hi Aquarius.  This is a very controversial topic - which means that the scientific facts are NOT clear.  Therefore, your "college nutrition teacher" is unscientific in her conclusions BECAUSE the scientific facts are not clear!

There are many issues/concerns about GMOs.  One of the concerns is the potential of dangerous allergic reactions to genetically modified foods.   Here are a couple of good references for you from the medical literature.  

1) Toxicological Sciences. 2003 May;73(1):8-16.  "Workshop overview: approaches to the assessment of the allergenic potential of food from genetically modified crops."

"There is a need to assess the safety of foods deriving from genetically modified (GM) crops, including the allergenic potential of novel gene products.  Presently there is no single in vitro or in vivo model that has been validated for the identification or characterization of potential food allergens."

2) New England Journal of Medicine. 1996 Mar. 14;11(334):688-692.  "Identification of a Brazil-Nut Allergen in Transgenic Soybeans."

"Conclusions: The 2S albumin is probably a major Brazil-nut allergen, and the transgenic soybeans analyzed in this study contain this protein.  Our study shows that an allergen from a food known to be allergenic can be transferred into another food by genetic engineering."

3) Journal of Experimental Botany. 2003 May 1;54(386):1317-1319.  "Genetically modified soybeans and food allergies."

"Allergenic reactions to proteins expressed in GM crops has been one of the prominent concerns among biotechnology critics and a concern of regulatory agencies."

"Only by developing new tests to ensure safety of GM products, after they are produced, can the many thousands of experiments that have and will be conducted on gene transfer and protein engineering be used to provide new products."

4) Ann Pharm Fr. (French). 2003 Mar;61(2):96-102.  "The allergic risk of transgenic foods strategy for prevention."

"The allergic risk of transgenic foods must be evaluated in accordance with the recommendations of the Joint Expert Committee FAO/WHO."  

"The potential risk of transgenic foods to be allergenic cannot be overlooked, not ignoring the fact that current technologies modify allergenicity of foods."

To summarize: Allergic reactions to GM foods is a serious concern.  Currently, there are NO valid tests for proving that these products are safe in this regard!  And, as the NEJM paper showed, gene transfer has the potential to insert dangerous allergic proteins into the modified food product.

Best wishes and good luck with your close-minded, unscientific instructor.