There was a time when the worst thing we expected to find on our dinner plate was a stray hair. Nowadays, with growing reports of processed meat being classified as a carcinogen, many people are choosing to swear off it entirely. But there’s another concern that may not be receiving enough attention – glyphosate.
Glyphosate is the main active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide, RoundUp®. While you may not be using it to spray weeds around your home, it is most likely finding its way into your body through non-organic produce. Glyphosate has some alarming effects on the human body, and it’s time we paid more attention to it.
The Glyphosate-GMO Connection
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds were designed to make crops more resistant to herbicides. The herbicide that goes hand-in-hand with GMO seeds is glyphosate. GMO foods are heavily sprayed with glyphosate, and its potential dangers have been raising alarms worldwide. However, those in the US agriculture industry prefer to keep this information under wraps.
Environmental activists have been warning us about the potential dangers of GMOs and glyphosate for years, but these cautionary tales and associated research haven’t been broadcast as loudly as the recent news about meat.
Let’s consider some significant findings about glyphosate collected by researchers at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School’s Department of Nutrition:
Carcinogenicity of Glyphosate
Seventeen experts from eleven countries assessed the carcinogenicity of five pesticides, including glyphosate, at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. They classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The classification was based on limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals. The studies showed a consistent increase in risk across case-control studies of occupational exposure in the US, Canada, and Sweden. However, no increased risk was observed in the large Agricultural Health Study cohort (AHS).
Limited evidence of other cancer sites (skin tumors, renal tubule carcinoma, haemangiosarcoma, and pancreatic islet-cell adenoma) was found, mainly in animal studies.
Glyphosate’s potential cancer-linked mechanisms were found to be primarily through two pathways: (1) damaging DNA, causing mutations or alterations in gene codes; and (2) inducing oxidative stress, which occurs when highly reactive chemicals overwhelm cells’ ability to deactivate them.
Liver and Kidney Damage
A study published in Environmental Health showed that chronic exposure to an ultra-low dose of glyphosate resulted in liver and kidney damage in rats. The study administered minute doses of Roundup via drinking water for two years, simulating what could be found in contaminated tap water.
Researchers observed signs of pathological and biochemical changes in the liver and kidneys of exposed rats. They then analyzed gene expression changes in these organs. Compared to the control group, over 4,000 gene transcript clusters in the liver and kidneys showed alterations in exposed rats.
This study demonstrates that chronic exposure to glyphosate at environmental levels can cause liver and kidney damage, potentially affecting animal and human populations’ health.
Protecting Yourself
In addition to avoiding GMO foods, you might also consider specific natural therapies that protect against abnormal cellular formation. Dr. Isaac Eliaz discusses these therapies in his blog post.
It’s an unfortunate reality that we now need to be very cautious about the food we consume. Both meat and produce can be problematic, but ensuring we make informed choices can help us live healthier, longer lives.
