While there are many advantages to the ability to modify genes, there are also a number of genetic engineering disadvantages. However, unlike the pros – such as super-sized strawberries, drought-proof corn or fungus-resistant soybeans – the cons of genetically engineered foods are sometimes a little harder to spot.
For starters, according to Washington Post columnist Dr. Peter Lind, genetically modified organisms (GMO) have proven inferior to their naturally occurring counterparts in terms of overall quality.
“In every case of genetic engineered organisms, the product has been less naturally healthy overall than the original host organisms,” he wrote in a March editorial. “There may be a single trait that is superior, but the overall health of the organism is less than found in nature. From animals like the sheep Dolly, to the Flavr Savr tomato, to the products you are eating today and don’t even know it, there are inherent problems consuming altered DNA.”
Another of the principle genetic engineering disadvantages that Lind points out derives from the fact that DNA does not always fully break down during human digestion. This means that there is a chance that the bacteria in our intestines could incorporate parts of the genetically modified plants’ DNA – such as the gene for super-resistance – into their own, leading to new strains of super-bacteria.
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Genetic Engineering Disadvantages – Food For Thought - Health News - redOrbit
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