theatlantic | Chinese researchers have found
small pieces of rice ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the blood and organs of
humans who eat rice. The Nanjing University-based team showed that this
genetic material will bind to receptors in human liver cells and
influence the uptake of cholesterol from the blood.
The type of RNA in question is called microRNA (abbreviated to miRNA)
due to its small size. MiRNAs have been studied extensively since their
discovery ten years ago, and have been implicated as players in several
human diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. They
usually function by turning down or shutting down certain genes. The
Chinese research provides the first in vivo example of ingested plant miRNA surviving digestion and influencing human cell function in this way.
Should the research survive scientific scrutiny -- a serious hurdle
-- it could prove a game changer in many fields. It would mean that
we're eating not just vitamins, protein, and fuel, but gene regulators
as well.
That knowledge could deepen our understanding of many fields,
including cross-species communication, co-evolution, and predator-prey
relationships. It could illuminate new mechanisms for some metabolic
disorders and perhaps explain how some herbal and modern medicines
function.
This study had nothing to do with genetically modified (GM) food, but
it could have implications on that front. The work shows a pathway by
which new food products, such as GM foods, could influence human health
in previously unanticipated ways.
Monsanto's website states,
"There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in
humans." This viewpoint, while good for business, is built on an
understanding of genetics circa 1960. It follows what's called the
"Central Dogma" of genetics, which postulates a one-way chain of command
between DNA and the cells DNA governs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment