Scientists Genetically Engineer "Super Carrot" Rich in Calcium
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas have genetically engineered a carrot to provide more calcium. During trials, researchers found that participants absorbed 41 percent more calcium from the genetically modified carrots than from the natural variety.
C.S. Prakash
Scientists Genetically Engineer "Super Carrot" Rich in Calcium
NaturalNews.com
August 1, 2008
(NaturalNews) Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas have genetically engineered a carrot to provide more calcium, according to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the past, most genetically engineered products have been marketed to farmers, claiming to provide benefits such as herbicide resistance. The "super carrot," however is part of a new trend toward products that claim to provide a direct benefit to consumers. Other researchers are working to modify potatoes to absorb less oil during frying, and to boost the cancer-fighting-chemical content of broccoli.
While carrots contain naturally occurring calcium, the mineral is poorly absorbed by the human body. In the modified carrots, a gene has been changed to allow calcium to move more freely across the carrot's cell membranes.
To test the carrot, researchers fed both normal and genetically modified carrots to 15 women and 15 men between the ages of 21 and 29, then conducted urine tests to determine calcium absorption. The researchers found that participants absorbed 41 percent more calcium from the genetically modified carrot than from the natural variety.
That amounts to a calcium content of between 27 and 29 milligrams per 100 grams (four ounces) of modified carrots.
