New Report Shows GMOs Produce Higher Yield and Could Be Better For You

While the debate surrounding the benefits of genetically modified crops (GMOs) will continue to ebb and flow, a new report, recently published in Scientific Reports, has found that not only can they increase crop yield, but they can also be good for you. A team of researchers, led by Elisa Pellegrino from the Institute of Life Sciences in Italy, conducted a meta-analysis of over 6,000 peer-reviewed studies from 1996 to 2016 on maize that had been genetically engineered. Out of these publications, only 76 were deemed worthy of inclusion in the study, IFLScience.com reported. They found the genetically engineered (GE) maize produced a greater yield of 5.6 to 24.5 percent and also resulted in a lower concentration of several compounds, including mycotoxins, which are toxic and carcinogenic in both humans and plants. There was also no significant difference in grain quality.

“The results support the cultivation of GE maize, mainly due to enhanced grain quality and reduction of human exposure to mycotoxins,” the team wrote.  “This analysis provides an effective synthesis on a specific problem that is widely discussed publicly,” study co-author Larua Ercoli said in an article in La Republica. The scientists also stress the “the study focused exclusively on the rigorous processing on scientific data,” rather than political interpretations. While, as with any study, there were some potential drawbacks, overall the scientific community appears supportive of the findings.