Fang Zhou: Can GM foods cause allergies?

In our body, there is a class of proteins called antibodies, which, like police, monitor the "bad guys" that invade the body - bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. They are ready to dispatch and eliminate them. Unfortunately, just as the police sometimes make good friends, the antibodies can be confused. Sometimes, antibodies will attack their own cells as enemies, causing people to suffer from "autoimmune disease." In other cases, although the antibodies attacked were invaders, these intruders were not “bad guys” (eg, food proteins that were absorbed into the body without being fully digested), and the antibodies caused harm to the body in response to them. Can even cause death. In this case, we call it allergy.

There are five types of antibodies, and IgE is related to allergies. We are still not quite sure what benefits IgE will have on the body, and it is likely that it is specifically designed to deal with parasites that invade the body. This effect is insignificant to modern people, but it is a side effect of IgE - allergies are more eye-catching. Some foods contain a protein component that can provoke IgE, called an antigen. Protein in food is usually digested into amino acids in the digestive tract and absorbed into the body. However, some proteins have a strong ability to resist the decomposition of gastric acid and proteases, are not easily digested, and can enter the bloodstream through the wall of the digestive tract. Lymphocytes produce large amounts of IgE against this antigen. IgE and a cell mainly distributed in the skin, respiratory tract, digestive tract - mast cells together, the next encounter with the same antigen, mast cells release many substances that can cause inflammation, causing allergic symptoms.

Fortunately, for most people, IgE's performance is fairly normal. The so-called allergic people are only a minority after all, and only about 2% to 8% of people are allergic to one or more foods. The foods that can cause allergies are mainly seafood, dairy products, eggs, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, wheat, and 90% of food allergies are caused by these foods.

In recent years, the case of food allergy seems to be increasing. We do not know whether this is due to an increase in allergic factors or whether people are more concerned about food allergies. However, "green groups" such as Greenpeace claimed that this is because GM foods can cause allergies. If so?

The so-called GM foods are produced using genetically modified food crops. The difference between GM crops and similar non-GM crops is the transfer of a particular foreign gene. All genes have the same chemical composition and are made up of nucleic acids. Nucleic acids in foods do not cause allergic reactions. If someone is really allergic to nucleic acids in food, then he will not only be allergic to GM foods, but also allergic to almost all foods, because almost all foods contain large amounts of nucleic acids. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the fact that foreign genes in genetically modified foods may cause allergies.

Food allergies are related to a protein in food. Exogenous genes in GM crops work by making specific proteins. Can this foreign protein cause allergies? Researchers have fully considered this issue when studying GM crops. Genes from foods known to cause allergies will not be used. For example, in order to increase the methionine content in soybeans to increase the nutritional value of soybeans as a feed, a protein gene of a Brazilian dried fruit was once transferred to soybeans, but the experiment has found that this soybean may cause allergies in some people, although It was not intended to be eaten by anyone, nor was it brought to market.

There are about 500 kinds of known allergens. Comparing the chemical composition and structure of the new protein produced by the transgenic crop with known allergens, if found to have certain similarities, it will be abandoned. Most allergens are difficult to digest, so the new proteins produced by the transgene need to be tested for rapid digestion. If not, the genetically modified foods cannot be consumed. After being rigorously tested and managed, the possibility of listing GM foods containing allergens is very small. None of the currently listed genetically modified foods have been found to contain new allergens.

There is a protein Cry9c, which is made from insect-resistant genetically modified corn, and is not easily digested. For prudent reasons, US regulatory agencies have stipulated that it can only be used as feed (other pest-resistant transgenic maize can be used for human consumption). In 2000, it was discovered that it was used by fast food shops to make corn chips and fried corn rolls, which caused nationwide recycling. Businesses suffered heavy losses and were once sensational. 28 people claimed to have eaten this GM food allergic reaction. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Controlled Blood Test for these people did not find IgE against Cry9c in their bodies, claiming that their claims had no evidence. A placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of the claimant also denied that the genetically modified food can cause allergies.

GM foods have been eaten by billions of people globally for more than ten years and no cases of allergies or other adverse reactions have been found. On the contrary, transgenic technology can be used to prevent food allergies.

Some people (mainly children younger than 5 years of age) are allergic to soybeans, mainly caused by a protein known as P34 in soybeans. In 2002, American scientists used transgenic technology to stop the gene encoding P34 protein and soybeans no longer produced the allergen P34 protein. We do not know exactly what the P34 protein does, but it seems that it does not matter to the health of the soybean plant. This GM soybean is as good as the natural variety. There are also two proteins in soy that cause allergies. However, there are some natural varieties of soybeans that lack these two allergens. Therefore, if the P34 gene of these wild species is not available, then all three kinds of soybeans with no allergic protein can be cultivated. All those who are allergic to soybeans can rest assured. Eat it.

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