Vitamin A, she pampers our complexion, maintains our sight, boosts our immune system, has anti-aging properties and is even strongly recommended for pregnant women … In short, it is precious!
Except that it is not found everywhere: unless you regularly consume carrots, corn, egg yolk or dairy products, you can quickly find yourself in a situation of deficiency. However, a vitamin A deficiency can have disastrous effects on health: moreover, it is one of the causes of the rate of infant mortalityparticularly high in eastern Africa …
A team of researchers from Queensland University of Technology (United States) may have just found a solution for all those who lack a little vitamin A: thanks to the support of the Bill Gates Foundation (which therefore does not only finance condom projects), they have managed to put developed a species of GMO banana more concentrated in vitamin A than our good old banana.
A super banana
Intended primarily for the populations of West Africa, this banana (the project of which dates back to 2005) was enriched in alpha and beta carotenes and is mainly cultivated in Australia. The first trials on humans started at the beginning of the week: if they prove to be conclusive, the “super banana” should be marketed in Uganda from 2020.
To respond to criticism of anti-GMO, Professor James Dale, in charge of the project, wishes to recall that “vitamin A deficiencies kill between 650,000 and 700,000 children per year in the world (…) and at least 300,000 others lose their sight”. However, the banana was the ideal food to fight against these deficiencies: it is indeed the fruit most consumed in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Would you be willing to eat genetically modified foods? Come discuss in the forum.
