A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine shows that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) crops are safe for human consumption.
Opponents of the use of GMOs have claimed over the last several years that they are to blame for a whole host of issues, including obesity, gastrointestinal illnesses and allergies, as well as environmental and ethical issues.
The report, released Tuesday, revealed there is no increase in the incidence of cancer, obesity, gastrointestinal illnesses, kidney disease, autism or allergies in humans and animals who have consumed GMOs.
Even in the medical community, there is still some dissent.
“I would argue that ‘safe’ does not mean ‘healthy,'” said Dr. Aleah P. Gibson with St. Elizabeth Physicians. “[Currently] there are no studies that look at lifelong effects of consumption of these foods versus not consuming them.”
The report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine “was meant to be an objective overview of current research into the safety and environmental and social effects of these increasingly popular crops and the foods made from them,” says USA Today, but opponents point out that it may not have been as “objective” as they would have hoped.
Eric Davenport, a dietitian with St. Elizabeth Physicians, agrees the findings can be trusted. “The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is a reputable, evidence-based source, comprised of a large panel of scientists that can be trusted to produce unbiased studies.”
Gibson pointed out that no new research was done and “it’s easy to manipulate these types of data analysis to paint whatever picture you want. I’m not accusing [anyone]of doing this, but it is possible.”
GMOs have been around for more than two decades and have the potential to produce larger yields for our world’s growing population and save farmers time and money.
“Unlike chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides that are externally sprayed on crops, GMOs change the plants’ DNA, allowing the herbicide and pesticide effect to come from the plant internally,” said Davenport. “This means that everything digested from a GMO is natural and non-chemically based.”
To learn more about the study and its implications, click here to head to USA Today.
