what are the risks of eating genetically modified foods. Any long term effects?
596146
Obesity and taller hieghts, early puberty, cancer
1074868
GM crops have helped to stop famine in 3rd world countries. It has saved MILLIONS of men, women, and children. \n\nPatrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, says:\n\n"Activists persist in their zero-tolerance campaign against genetically enhanced varieties of food crops when there is zero evidence of harm to human health or the environment, and the benefits are measurable and significant. Genetically enhanced (GE) food crops result in reduced chemical pesticides, higher yield, and reduced soil erosion. Golden Rice, for example, could prevent blindness in 500,000 children per year in Asia and Africa if activists would stop blocking its introduction. Other varieties of food crops will contain iron, Vitamin E, enhanced protein and better oils. No other technology can match the potential of GE to address the nutritional deficiencies of billions of people. The anti-GE campaign seeks to deny these environmental and nutritional advances by using “Frankenfood” scare tactics and misinformation campaigns."
808174
Genetic modification is a dangerous game until the technology is absolutely fool-proof. \n\nI think cloning technology is the future since curing many diseases could depend upon it. But there has to be strict regulation involved because guess what, obtaining anyone's DNA is easier than picking your nose. \n\nYou may find the movie 'The Island' very interesting.
265261
I think that to be honest GM foods are far better than standard pesticide ridden foods.  Many pesticides are highly toxic and carcinogens. \nAlso if one considers all genetic modification unnatural then what about the selective breeding of livestock which has gone on for centuries - this is effectivly re-shaping the genome of whole species.  \nIf people would be prepared to spend a small amount more money to obtain high quality locally produced organic food rather than supermarket produce from the other side of the globe grown in economically crippled countries by people who do not get paid well enough to adequatly provide for their families then GM food would not be an issue.
252178
If you do it too long, you can change the PH of your blood which is in no way healthy.  Also, you can easily risk not getting the minerals, vitamins and fiber you need from fruits and vegetables.  Not to mention the high fat intake that is allowed with Atkins can cause many health problems - like high colesterol.
189576
There are no (absolutely no) health risks involved with either one. That whole cancer scare was started by a guy whose wife died of brain cancer, and he blamed it on her cell phone. But people who eat carrots also die of brain cancer. And people who drive cars. And people who eat breakfast...  But you can't place blame on just anything. Your phone is safe, and independent research (i.e., by people who have no axe to grind) have shown no correlation.
272813
It a terrible statistic, but 100 percent of anyone who has ever eaten a carrot has or will die!!!!!    another one might be "death is proven to be caused by the slow ingestion of saliva over time".
1041722
First of all, we have to look at the real question here.  Is our food toxic?\n\nThe short answer is...no.  Hear me out now...\n\nA lot of food passed inspection several years ago when medicine was not as advanced, when testing was not as detailed, when there were no baselines for comparison.  As we have advanced, we have discovered that certain foods that we have taken seem to have bad effects on our bodies.  Small doses our bodies can recover from, but large doses take more effort to overcome, and sometimes there just isn't enough strength in the body to handle the shock.  Additionally, there seems to be a cumulative effect in some foods substances (think cholesterol).\n\nNow for the bad news.  People can not seem to agree what foods are bad, how much is bad for you, what parts of the food causes the problem, things like that.  New evidence is contrary to old evidence, and is in turn counteracted by even newer evidence.  Special interest groups on both sides get involved, and next thing we know...we are being told that everything is toxic.  This flys in the face of the fact that the human lifespan seems to keep increasing through strides in medicine, genetics, and yes, even diets.  Add in that medical companies, the public, and yes, even our own government is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the FDA to release medicines and new products quicker and with less testing, and we have a problem.\n\nSo eat a healthy diet, eat in moderation, and exercise, and your body and mind will last a lot longer and be happier for it.\n\nAs for your question, the FDA requested 1.9 billion for their budget for 2006.
121557
Technically genetically modified food could do anything, very expensive and possibly a big waste of time, but in theory it probably could work
795045
Some advantages are reduced need for pesticides because the crops are grown to resist infestation (e.g. BT corn- resistant to corn borers). Crops can also be modified to have higher nutritional value. There are endless possibilities. There is also research being done on edible vaccines (which would be easier to administer to large populations in a short period of time, especially children), as well as other medical applications and treatments including cancer prevention and treatment. \n\nAs a point of interest, you might want to note that all banana's sold in north america are genetically modified and have been for decades (not sure of exact date).\n\nIf you want to know more about the Canadian governments' views on GM food and products here is the web site I used for a school project last month. It may also give you other ideas on where to find more information.\n\nhttp://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/biotech/gen/queste.shtml#env
910464
I've already shared with you my views on this matter. Would you be surprised if I told you they haven't changed since this morning? Eating commercially raised cattle, pigs, etc is bad for them and worse for us. They have their final revenge when we die of atherosclerotic heart disease. Oh well, what goes around comes around as they say.
174736
are you talking about "transgenic crops"  or traditional breeding methods?\n\nGenetically Modified (GM) crops are typically transgenic.  This process involves taking genes from one species—an animal, plant, bacterium, or virus—and inserting them into another species, such as an agricultural crop.  \n\nTo find out more, go to the website below:
598492
it is a genetically modified food. not very good for you. its a derivitive of a natural starch.\nthe fact that its modified changes some of its physical properties and the way and ease with which it can be digested.\nbasically its best not to eat it as it is not digestable in many people and causes stomach problems, plus its not even a real food, its fake...so just buy organic food and stay away from modified starch and things like high fructose corn syrup. yuck!
452995
i think mixing different species have both advantages n disadvantages .some of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Transgenic Crops?\nThe use of transgenic crops has been an issue for many years. Many concerns have been raised and these generally fall into two categories: \n\n\nA concern about what affect genetically modified material could have on human health. For example, transgenic crops have been suggested to cause allergies in some people, although it is uncertain whether transgenic crops are the source of this reaction3. Furthermore the antibiotic resistance genes placed in these crops has been suggested to cause resistance to antibiotics leading to super bugs that cannot be killed with antibiotic treatments3. The idea of a population being uncomfortable with ingesting DNA that originated from another source, such as a virus or bacteria, must also be considered when thinking about producing transgenic crops. However, to date, there is no evidence of the DNA from transgenic crops being any different from the DNA ingested from conventional crops. \nA concern about whether transgenic crops cause damage to the natural environment. One example includes pollen from transgenic corn, which has been suggested to kill the Monarch butterfly larvae. It has been shown that hybrid corn expresses a bacterial toxin in its pollen, which is then dispersed over 60 meters by wind. In this range, the corn pollen is deposited on other plants near cornfields where it can be ingested by non-target organisms including the monarch butterfly5. These butterflies have been found to eat less, have a slower growth rate and higher death rate5. A second example is the hybridization of crops with nearby weeds. This could cause these weeds to attain resistance to herbicides or other things that we have been trying to avoid for many years. Genes that provide resistance to viral disease or other traits allowing them to survive in their environment could end up benefiting weed populations around a crop field. This trait could make that population more difficult to control. To date, there has been little evidence to support this theory2. \nOn other side of the coin are the notions that support the use of transgenic crops. The potential benefits of which are quite obvious, including such things as increased yields (to feed a growing population), decreasing the use of pesticides (to save the environment and the cost of pesticides), and the production of novel crops (such as providing crops with increased nutritional value)3. Being able to retrofit any crop to our desires is a powerful concept, especially with the changing climates of today
228106
None that I know of. Why would instant food cause cancer? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are generally very strict about the safety of our food. If you hear that cancer was caused by some type of food, it usually means that lab rats were fed an incredibly large amount of it for a couple of years and then they got cancer. For example, they may have been given the human equivalent of a case of soda a day for six years. Don't worry about your instant food. It's simply been processed in a way that makes it cook faster. Don't believe everything you hear on the street. Most people don't know what they're talking about.
286045
GMO's are all over the place. Usually people mean genetically modified food when they talk about GMO's.\n\nDepending where you live, your common fruits and veggies may be modified.  Some countries require the producer to note that on a product's label, some don't.  \n\nHere are some common and interesting/creepy examples:\n\nCorn on the cob: All the modern varieties (such as "peaches and cream") have a "sugar gene" spliced into their code to make them sweeter. Seems harmless enough.\n\nMonsanto (an "evil" company) genetically engineered corn such that it's pollen would be it's own pesticide and kill off invading bugs. Unfortunately, this killed off monarch butterflies and is a significant cause to their decline. Of course, this pollen then pollenated "natural" corn crops on neighbouring fields, so there was some unintentional spreading of genetically engineered traits. (Monsanto later sued the local farmers for "stealing" their crops (which are patent protected) when their plants began showing monsanto traits.\n\nAnother example is splicing a pig's skin gene into tomatoes (apparently to give it a nicer skin)... resulting in outcry around the world: "Is it a vegetable? Is it Kosher? How long have I been eating this (since it isnt marked in the grocery store)? What is my Rabbi going to say?"\n\nSilkworm genes have also made their way into food plants.\n\nSome might say GMO's are the same as what we have been doing over the milennia - selecting the best crops over time and in so doing enhancing these traits.  For instance, going back to corn, a cob of corn used to be the size of baby corn.  It was grown by the indigenous people of the americas, and over time, grew in size.  Simply because they took the seeds from the good crops of the year (the ones that had the biggest cobs) and planted them next year.  The runts didn't get replanted.\n\nHowever, "selection" is a far cry different than genetic engineering.  No amount of selection would combine a pig and a tomato! These products are commonly called "Frankenfruits" or "Frankenfoods" after Frankenstein.\n\nOn a good note: \nSome researchers are trying to make alfalfa and other simple crops to produce vaccines: Simply grow the plant, eat it, and you're innoculated against polio.  A handful of alfalfa seeds could then be given to villages in poorer and less-accessible regions and everyone could be innoculated after the first crop!  Not only that, they could share the seeds with neighbouring villages, and would have the plant for future genereations as well (as opposed to having a fixed number of doses).  Considering a bag of seeds costs only a few dollars, this is a really neat way GMOs could really help the world. So it isn't all bad.\n\nThere are plenty of GMO awareness sites out there. Be sure to find one with local information. I know that in Canada, GMO's are not labelled, but they may need to be in various states and European countries.
1156545
In general changes to the DNA of a species poses a risk of unexpected results.  Nature is generally in more or less of an equilibrium.  When sudden changes occur that balance can be upset.  Like when new predators are introduced into an area and their prey is wiped out.  Or when a plant is introduced to a new area and spreads uncontrollably.\n\nCreating "new" plants can have the same kind of impact as moving plants around from one part of the world to another.\n\nAdditionally there is some concern that taking DNA from one plant and embedding it in another plant's DNA (e.g. to improve resistance to insects, drought, etc.) could have adverse effects (e.g. producing allergic reactions where none had existed).\n\nThere's no right answer.  As with any technology we have to weigh the total impact (on humans, the environment, etc.).