GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) have raised a number of controversies with some communities stating that they can pose more risks and bring about cancer.
Well, foods that have been genetically altered have nothing to do with cancer and there are no reliable shreds of evidence to back it. Dr Kevin Folta from the University of Florida has shed more light on this matter by stating that, there is no link between cancer and GMOs.
The Bt protein and EPSPS enzyme found in GMOs have no capacity to induce and promote the growth of tumours.
“The short answer is no, there is absolutely zero reputable evidence that GMO foods cause cancer. There is nothing about the Bt protein (used in insect resistance, also in organic pest control), the EPSPS enzyme (which confers herbicide resistance simply by substituting for the native enzyme in the plant) or the process itself that would induce such cellular changes in human cells that would lead to cancer. It is just not plausible," notes Dr Kevin Folta.
He further elucidated that, there is a confusion on the Bt protein. Due to their abnormal proliferation, a number of scholars and people think that they cause cellular changes, abnormal cell growth in the human body which is not the case.
"Some of the confusion comes from reports where the Bt protein or glyphosate (the herbicide used on some GM crops) is applied to cell lines in a petri dish, and the cells show changes associated with stress and perhaps abnormal proliferation.
However, cells in a dish do not behave like cells in the body. Through years of careful evaluation, there is no reliable evidence that GM foods cause the same changes in a living organism," reads part of his statement.