QUEENSLAND, Australia — In the realm of global health and malnutrition issues, Vitamin A deficiency is at the top of the list. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases risk of ailment or death from numerous infections, including the common cold and diarrhea. Vitamin A deficiency remains a leading health issue in nearly half of all countries worldwide, especially those in Africa and Southeast Asia.
This condition is mostly detrimental to young children. An estimated 250 million preschool children are Vitamin A deficient and between 250,000 to 500,000 Vitamin A deficient children become blind every year. Half of these children who become blind die within 12 months of losing their sight. In total, nearly 700,000 children die each year from Vitamin A deficiency.
The newest solution to Vitamin A deficiency issues in poorer countries is genetically modified bananas. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded the $10 million project at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, where scientists were able to genetically engineer Australian bananas to combat Vitamin A deficiency.
Led by Professor James Dale, the director of the Centre for Tropical Crops and Bio-commodities at the University, the study was conducted to engineer bananas that produce increased levels of beta-carotene, which naturally converts to Vitamin A in the body.
Since bananas are such a staple in parts of Africa, especially East Africa, the successful production and distribution of these bananas has the potential to create extreme health benefits and to target malnutrition in pregnant women and children by increasing their Vitamin A intake. In fact, nearly 70 percent of the population in all of Africa heavily relies on the cooked banana as a source of nutrition. Therefore, the transformation of the banana could have extreme results in regions such as East Africa.
Interestingly enough, the flesh of these “super bananas” actually takes an orange color due to the greater pro-Vitamin A content. This was somewhat expected by the researchers, as many foods that are rich in beta-carotene often take an orange color, such as carrots. The more beta-carotene, the more orange these bananas will be. Professor Dale expressed that the researchers are aiming to “increase the level of pro-Vitamin A to a minimum level of 20 micrograms per gram dry weight in order to significantly improve the health status of African banana consumers.”
After this study was conducted, the bananas were used in a trial with Mongolian gerbils. The project saw success and human trials in the United States are currently underway. Researchers, including Professor James Dale, are confident that human trials will prove harmless and that these bananas will be introduced to African countries, such as Uganda, by 2025.
Currently, Ugandan officials are debating the legality of genetically modified crops in the country. Regulations are expected to take effect in 2020, leaving ample time for the introduction of the newly created “super bananas.”
Proponents of this project are confident that a cheap and abundant source of Vitamin A will not only decrease infant mortality and blindness, but also improve immune health among entire populations.
However, this project has received criticism. Dr. Helen Wallace of GeneWatch stated that “there is evidence that too much beta-carotene can be cancerous” and that “there are more effective solutions to these issues such as targeted supplementation and diversification of crops.” Other proponents have criticized the cost of this project and the uncertainty surrounding the modified bananas’ long-term effects.
Regardless of the opponents’ warnings, if the human trials are successful, these bananas will soon be introduced into countries like Uganda. If these super fruits prove to be beneficial, Professor Dale believes that Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Tanzania will follow suit shortly after.
Despite the controversy surrounding this study, Professor Dale expresses his confidence in the project by explaining “Good science can make a massive difference here by enriching staple crops with pro-Vitamin A and providing poor and subsistence-farming populations with nutritionally rewarding food…We know our science will work.”
Researchers have also reported that if this project is as successful as they hope it to be, other crops such as plantains, which are widely used in poorer countries in Africa and South America, could undergo the same process.
– Cambria Arvizo
Sources: PHG Foundation, WHO, Geek Wire, Mother Nature Network, The Independent
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