Oral Presentations O4.1 Human health risk and GMO

The global level of consumption of foods derived from genetically modified crops, vegetables and meat (GMOs) is increasing rapidly since 1994 year. Environmental and consumer organisations have challenged official risk assessment, since the long-term, well programmed both animal as well as human studies of GMOs effects have not been performed until now. Modified DNA (less than 1/250 000 of the total, up to 1g DNA consumed daily) is the same in all living organisms thus not differ from what is already digested in the diet. Thus the probability of transfer of genes from GMOs to mammalian cells, or gut microorganisms is infinitesimally small and resemble the contact with naturally modified dietary DNA. The principal focus of the side-effects of GMO is the protein(s) expressed by the inserted gene(s). There are four main points which should be taken into consideration: toxicity, transferring of antibiotic resistance, potential allergic reaction on GMO containing and derived food, and the reaction on the chronic supplementation of the introduced, certain gene product. At present no unexpected toxicities have been recorded in societies consuming the GMO plants resistant to herbicides (expressing the EPSPS), plant viruses, or transfected with the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (generation of insecticidal proteins used in spray in USA since 1971). The antibiotic resistance genes (nptII for aminoglycosides resistance, or bla for ampicillin) are present in GM plants as the markers to select transformed certain plant cells. The evaluation made by EU experts revealed the no significant antibiotic resistance in human and animals fed with such GMO containing diet, since at a conservative estimate human ingestion of canamycin-resistant bacteria is 1.2 milion daily. The evaluation of allergenic potential of the GM food is heavy to assess, since almost any food cause adverse reactions including the non-immunological (food intolerance) and immune event (including generation of IgE class immunoglobulins (20% of adverse effects to food, especially in the childhood). The biochemical characteristics of proteins (however with limited value) with regard to their allergenicity allows theoretically to use genes producingproteins with the possible no allergenic potential for genetic modifications. At the present time any evidence of the new allergies due to the use of transgenic proteins is documented. The sporadic cases of respiratory allergy have been reported in workers using B. thuringiensis in spray. However the duration of exposition to the certain, introduced gene should be carefully monitored. The duration of exposition to the GM aiming vaccination to viral hepatitis differ from long-term supplementation effect. The “golden-rice” with beta-carotene (BC) protects the Asia children against blindness but excess of BC may be danger for smokers (development of lung cancer). How safety is food supplemented with the omega-3 fatty acids for diabetics? Increased iron ions may increase free radical generation, the mechanism of aging.