The debate over the safety and danger of genetically modified crops has currently been a contentious one. While supporters claim that GM food will positively impact on farmers, others are concerned about possible negative effects on health. This essay will examine that the prime benefit of this new agricultural method is better crops resistance against pests, while the main drawback could be gene diseases.
One of the main advantages of GM food products is that they better resist against serious diseases frequently affecting harvests. This is because GM foods are modified through changes on the DNA by biologists, who have the aim of finding the best gene combination. For example, developing countries have gain crucial economic benefits through GM cultivation, as their harvest is not menaced anymore by pests and crops diseases. On the contrary, their GM crops need much less fertilizers and chemical substances, thanks to their adaptation.
On the other hand, there are several concerns about the health effects of these products, which cannot be overlooked. Since the principle of GM foods is gene mutation, the possible negative impact on human DNA, such as contributing to cancer development, has not been proved yet. For instance, numerous environmental associations claim that there have been too little research on this specific topic, and therefore the undiscoveried effects would be detrimental if the global population included GM products on their diet.
In conclusion, there is still debate over the positive and negative outcomes of GM foods, as they could positively benefit the harvests in term of adaptability against frequent pests, thus fostering the economy of low-income nations. On the other hand, too little discoveries have been made about their effects on health, and it is unknow if they could lead to gene diseases.