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Proof of Golden Rice efficiency
(November 30, 2007) For years, the genetically
modified "Golden Rice" was criticized by opponents of agricultural biotechnology
as a Trojan horse. The provitamin A-enriched Golden Rice was claimed to reflect
the lucent strategy of the industry to introduce genetically engineered food
under the cloak of an unselfish product developed for the benefit of the poor.
Critics disputed the potential of Golden Rice to fight the widespread vitamin A
deficiency in developing countries, arguing that one would have to eat several
kilograms of rice per day to achieve any positive effect. However, recent
pre-studies now tell a different story.
In a complex experiment, scientists at Tufts University
in Boston measured exactly how much provitamin A the human digestive tract
absorbs from grains of Golden Rice. For these purposes, small amounts of
isotope-marked varieties of Golden Rice were bred in Texas. This way, the
scientists were able to observe the dispositions of beta-carotene and its
conversion in the human body. The study was funded by the National Institute of
Health (NIH), a part of the US Department of Health. The results outranged the
boldest hope of Ingo Potrykus who, together with Peter Beyer from the University
of Freiburg, Germany, developed the Golden Rice approximately ten years ago at
the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. At such an early stage of the study, Potrykus does
not wish to publicise details of the findings. However, it already appear to be
clear that an average daily intake of 200 to 300 grams of Golden Rice will
suffice to protect an individual from vitamin A deficiency. To date, the lack of
beta-carotene in food causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the developing
world each year. Without a sufficient supply of provitamin A, young children
especially suffer from a general weakness of their immune system or even from
blindness. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 250 million
children of pre-school age are afflicted with a deficit in vitamin A. Between
250,000 and 500,000 of these children lose their sight per year.
Another study, in this case with 50 vitamin A-deficient
children, will be conducted next year to verify the findings to date. The
outcome is to be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Plant breeders
already have started to cross the Golden Rice properties into rice varieties
that are common in India, Vietnam and the Philippines. With proven benefits for
the consumer, the approval of this rice as a safe genetically modified organism
in these countries seems closer.
See also on GMO-Compass:
Further Information:
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