If the fear mongers about GMO foods don't get their way, new strains of potatoes genetically engineered to contain beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol (vitamins A and E) could potentially reduce vitamin deficiencies in areas of the developing world, where potatoes are staple foods.
vitamin A
Golden rice — bioengineered to contain beta-carotene — has the potential to decrease the toll of blindness and mortality due to vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. A new study modeled this potential when varying degrees of substitution and beta carotene content are involved. For the poorest, the benefit can be substantial.
A New York Post op-ed calls out songwriter and activist Neil Young for his misguided beliefs about sound agricultural practices, specifically his loud-mouthed (but widely heard) ignorance about GMO technology and its potential for saving lives threatened by malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies.
Dr. Alan Moghissi of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (and former chairman of the ACSH Board of Directors) and colleagues cogently reviewed the evolution of
Greenpeace and other anti-GMO groups destructive activities have the effect of worsening hunger in the Third World, for no reason other than their own anti-science, anti-progress agendas. It's long past time to allow Golden Rice on the market. EFSA has voided Italy's nonsensical ban on GM corn--a good sign.
A very large metaanalysis of the putative efficacy of supplements to prolong life showed no beneficial effects, and perhaps a slight detrimental effect. There are no valid studies supporting the general use of such substances.