Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide patented and brought to the consumer market by Monsanto in the 1970s [1]. It is a synthetic analogue of the amino acid glycine (N-phosphonomethylglycine). Glyphosate-based formulations vary in their constitution but generally consist of a surfactant like polyoxyethyleneamine (POEA) and the isopropylamine (IPA) salt of glyphosate [2]. Surfactants like POEA and TN-20 (found in Roundup®) as well as toxic metals like arsenic and lead enhance the toxicity of glyphosate-based herbicides [3] [4]. As excellently reviewed by Mesnage et al., adjuvants in pesticide formulations are falsely labeled “inerts” by the manufacturer despite the fact that they enhance up to 1000 times the toxicity of the so-called “active principle” (glyphosate is the active principle in Roundup®) [5]. To quote Mesnage et al.: “Roundup was found in this experiment to be 125 times more toxic than glyphosate. Moreover, despite its reputation, Roundup was by far the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested. This inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to huge economic interests, which have been found to falsify health risk assessments and delay health policy decisions” [6].
What must also be realized is that pesticides bioaccumulate or build up in animal organisms, and in an experiment conducted by Seralini et al., it was discovered that a Roundup® concentration of only 0.1 parts per billion (!!) was needed to provoke pathologies in rats after two years (illustrating that the harmful effect of pesticide exposure is cumulative) [7]. Of course, as toxins accumulate in the body, compounded and negatively synergistic effects can be seen [8]. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer labeled glyphosate a probable carcinogen [9]. In humans, a positive relationship has been demonstrated between exposure to glyphosate and the onset of lymphoma [10] [11]. Internal documents from Monsanto consisting of unpublished studies acquired via the Freedom of Information Act clearly illustrate how strongly glyphosate can damage the kidneys and how readily glyphosate can induce tumors in the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, mammary glands, testes, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, and liver [12]. Monsanto colluded with the Environmental Protection Agency in obtaining approval for the registration of glyphosate and there was even blatant and open dissention among the members of the review committee [13] [14]. There is also evidence of ingested glyphosate reacting with nitrites in the colon and skin, forming N-nitrosoglyphosate metabolites that are carcinogenic [15]. Indeed, an age-adjusted analysis conducted in 2004 revealed “an 80% increased risk of melanoma associated with glyphosate use” in pesticide applicators from Iowa and North Carolina [16]. Furthermore, glyphosate can impair the intestinal microbiota’s production of folate (not folic acid, a synthetic mimicker), a deficiency of which has been linked to cancer of the colon, brain, pancreas, ovaries, cervix, lungs, and breasts [17]. Lastly, Roundup® can promote the onset of cancer by constraining the tumor suppressing enzymes succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratase [18]. There is no refuting the dramatic rise in chronic disease prevalence in the United States paralleling the exponential increase in the use of glyphosate (and other pesticides) and the consumption of genetically modified foods [19]. Even though the following fact is outside of this article’s focus, it must be understood that genetic modification is not identical to the natural interbreeding that can take place between species of the same genus or even different genera [20]. GM crops cannot be considered even remotely equal to non-GM crops. Animals like cows, chickens, and pigs that are housed in confined animal feeding operations (or CAFOs) are commonly fed genetically modified food crops and thus animal products such as eggs, milk, cheese, butter, and meat can be strikingly contaminated with herbicide residues [21]. Undeniably, glyphosate in some form is present in the foods comprising the typical Western diet [22]. Glyphosate exerts its herbicidal effect by disrupting the shikimate pathway, seven steps utilized by plants and microorganisms in the making of the amino acids phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine [23]. Because the human GI tract is obviously filled with bacteria, glyphosate ingestion can poison the intestinal microbiota and engender significant dysbiosis [24]. In 2013, Samsel and Seneff argued that glyphosate can impair the crafting of sulfate by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and its transport in the bloodstream, as well as contribute to the development of intestinal hyperpermeability or leaky-gut syndrome [25]. Senapati et al. found that glyphosate-treated fish experienced a reduction in digestive enzyme counts and injury to the intestinal wall [26]. Samsel and Seneff have also proposed that glyphosate can reduce bile acid production by the liver, hurting the health of the gallbladder and small bowel and encouraging the development of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in addition to hampering the assimilation of nutrients [27]. Continuing, glyphosate has been shown to damage DNA in human cells and function as a potent endocrine disruptor [28] [29]. Roundup® can disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and bring about a condition very similar to adrenal insufficiency [30]. Roundup® has also been shown to disrupt oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and thus the making of ATP [31]. And in rat testes, a low dose of Roundup® injured fertility by opening voltage-dependent calcium channels leading to severe oxidative stress and cell death [32]. Glyphosate can markedly inhibit the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes, which are primarily located in the liver to power detoxification, but also exist in the endoplasmic reticula and mitochondria of cells outside the liver [33]. CYP enzymes are involved in the metabolism of cholesterol, vitamin D3, estrogen, and testosterone too [34]. It has been contented that glyphosate is partly responsible for the vitamin D deficiency epidemic in the U.S. [35]. Moreover, glyphosate depletes glutathione through its generation of oxidative stress (glutathione being a critical antioxidant and detoxificant) [36]. Most Americans are bombarded with xenobiotics from food preservatives (such as BHA and BHT), toxic metals (such as aluminum, mercury, and cadmium), water contaminants (such as fluoride, chlorine, and pharmaceuticals), and food additives (such as monosodium glutamate and aspartame). By hindering the body’s ability to deal with encountered xenobiotics, ubiquitous glyphosate exposure amplifies the harm of environmental toxins [37]. And by ubiquitous I mean glyphosate can be found in soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and rainwater, in addition to the plants and animals within the GM food chain [38]. It is also very plain that glyphosate significantly hurts the health of honey bees and their effectiveness as pollinators [39] [40]. By negatively altering the gut microbiota of honey bees, glyphosate increases susceptibility to infection by opportunistic pathogens and is no doubt playing a part in the scourge of colony collapse disorder that has swept across North America and Europe [41]. Glyphosate is clearly uptaken by plants, animals, and humans, and as concluded by a study conducted by Kruger et al., “Chronically ill humans had significantly higher glyphosate residues in urine than healthy humans” [42]. Because glyphosate is a chelator of ionized metals like calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese, it can obstruct plant uptake from the soil and rob the human body of these necessary minerals [43]. Next, glyphosate is fully capable of penetrating the placenta and a huge increase in the rate of birth defects has been seen in Argentina and Paraguay where glyphosate has been heavily applied to core crops [44] [45]. Beecham and Seneff have proposed that in utero subjection to glyphosate can cause neurodevelopmental defects characteristic of autism as well [46]. Because of glyphosate’s molecular similarity to the amino acid glycine, glyphosate can operate as a glycine mimetic and undesirably bind to receptors for glycine [47]. In the brain, undesirable binding by glyphosate to NMDA receptors can cause a haphazard influx of calcium into neurons that leads to the death of these cells [48]. A carefully choreographed entry of calcium into immature neurons is necessary for proper neurodevelopment and the deflection of autistic or ASD-like presentations [49]. Partly because of its ability to induce a deficiency in manganese, Samsel and Seneff have suggested that glyphosate could contribute to the manifestation of other related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety, as well as osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and chronic fatigue syndrome [50]. In addition to glyphosate’s ability to bind to receptors for glycine, glyphosate may also substitute for glycine during protein synthesis, creating misfolded or dysfunctional proteins that are toxic and capable of causing cell death [51]. Notably, because insulin receptors normally contain glycine, glyphosate substitution for glycine could create dysfunctional insulin receptors that engender insulin resistance and chronic inflammation [52]. In the same vein, it seems glyphosate can make it more difficult for the liver to metabolize fructose, potentially contributing to fructose-induced fatty liver disease [53]. And the replacing of glycine by glyphosate could weaken the immune system by neutralizing the antimicrobial action of alpha defensin peptides [54]. Finally, glyphosate could be playing a marked part in the etiology of multiple autoimmune conditions by way of molecular mimicry [55]. As discussed by Shoenfeld and Aron-Maor in their 2000 paper, autoimmunity can be conjured through molecular mimicry in subsequence to microbial infection or vaccination [56]. And sure enough, the presence of glyphosate in numerous vaccines has been verified (the MMR vaccine contained the highest level) [57]. Glyphosate uptake from vaccine-derived gelatin excipients into various proteins seems to be the common pathway through which glyphosate in glyphosate-contaminated vaccines fosters autoimmunity (note that glyphosate exerts more of a toxic effect when injected directly into the bloodstream versus administered orally) [58] [59]. For corroboration, an excellent example of vaccine-induced autoimmunity can be seen in the narcolepsy epidemic that followed the mass vaccination campaign against H1N1 influenza (swine flu) across the European Union beginning in 2009 [60]. Here the Pandemrix vaccine contained a peptide from the influenza virus that invoked cross-reactivity with hypocretin receptor 2, a protein expressed in the brain that can drive the appearance of sleep disorders like narcolepsy when altered or damaged [61]. In conclusion, there is no argument against the fact that the widespread and indiscriminate use of glyphosate-based herbicides is unacceptable. Monsanto’s Roundup® is devastating the microbial diversity of our soils and compromising the health of the biosphere as a result [62]. By consuming organic foods and supporting both sustainable farmers and natural beekeepers, we can help to restore the richness and well-being of our planet while undermining the profitability of genetic engineering in agriculture. We only have one Earth, and right now she desperately needs our aid. References:
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AuthorDenton Coleman is an Exercise Physiologist and Medical Researcher. Archives
October 2023
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