SerpApi.Org
You’ve probably seen packaged foods labeled “non-GMO.” Certain brands of graham crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars, and baby food are proudly marketed as free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Some people try to eliminate GMO foods from their diets because they believe these are unhealthy or dangerous. Those claims have not been proven, so we asked Dana Hunnes, RD, PhD, MPH, a senior clinical dietitian at UCLA Health, if you really need to avoid GMO foods.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: What are GMO foods and why were they created?
Hunnes: A GMO is a genetically modified organism. The word “organism” might sound scary, but basically, it is a crop that has had a gene inserted to change an aspect of the crop so it can withstand drought or certain pests and insects.
Sometimes genes are inserted to make the food more nutritious, like when food scientists developed a variety of rice with more vitamin A. They inserted a gene into rice to increase vitamin A for people who don’t consume enough of this vitamin in countries where rice is a staple food.
Q: “Non-GMO” is a marketing term that gets used all the time on food packaging, and it seems to make people think GMO foods are unhealthy or unsafe. Some people online also claim that GMO foods are less nutritious or lead to allergies. Is there any evidence to support these claims?
Hunnes: No, GMO foods are really not unsafe from a health perspective. From a nutritional standpoint, many health organizations have stated that GMO foods are equally nutritious and sometimes even more nutritious than their non-GMO counterparts.
GMO crops that are resistant to certain insecticides or pesticides are potentially more dangerous because of what is sprayed on the field, not because of the crop itself. For example, if a crop has had a gene inserted to make it resistant to a certain pesticide or insecticide that is sprayed on that field, then that crop will survive that spraying. That, however, does not make the crop itself less healthy.
If someone really wants to have zero exposure to pesticides and herbicides, I would say don’t go the GMO route. It is generally considered safe to consume foods with pesticides and herbicides, but developing fetuses, infants, and young children are at a higher risk from exposure than adults.
Before they hit the market, GMO foods are rigorously tested to ensure they are safe for consumption and don’t cause allergies or toxicity.
Q: Some people are also worried that the DNA in the GMO foods would transfer to them if they eat GMO foods. Is that fear grounded in any truth?
Hunnes: When we eat and digest food, whether it’s GMO or not, we break it down into its constituent parts. We break down carbs into glucose, protein into amino acids, and fat into lipids. The inserted DNA in GMO foods is also considered a protein, so we will break that down and absorb it like any other amino acid. We don’t turn into a GMO when we eat a GMO. The transference does not work that way at all.
Q: What else would you tell a patient who is really concerned about GMOs?
Hunnes: It would really depend on what their concern is. If their concern is environmental or patent-related, or that it costs farmers a lot of money to get a particular GMO crop, I might say those are very valid concerns, and so don’t eat them.
But if they are concerned that these foods are less nutritious, I would show them the research saying they are generally equally, if not more, nutritious.
Read the original article on Verywell Health
