March 23, 2004
NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
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Today's Topic: Transgenes in Your Gut

Transgenes are bits of DNA inserted into plants through the process of
genetic modification.  This is primarily done to improve qualities of
the plant that benefit the farmer, such as reducing the need for
pesticides and herbicides.  Of course, spraying less of these
chemicals is also good for the environment.  A new study finds that
transgenic plant DNA can survive some of the digestive process and get
incorporated into intestinal bacteria.

The observations were only true in volunteers who had ileostomies,
surgical diversions at the end of the small intestine through the wall
of the abdomen.  No transgenic DNA survived passage through the colon.
The study was reported in the February 2004 issue of Nature
Biotechnology.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Transfer of DNA among
bacteria is well known.  The relevant question is if DNA can be
transferred to humans and the answer is an unequivocal "no" from this
study; even though some news articles asked this question, several did
not answer it.  Among the seven people with ileostomies, four had
almost no DNA in the ileostomy fluid and only one had more than one
percent of the original material.  Remember that we eat DNA from
plants and animals every day, so transfer can occur from native or
transferred genes.