Glyphosate Exposure Could Disrupt Human Gut Microbiome

Scientific studies offer answers and solutions to disturbances and diseases associated with the stomach, yet industrial food processing still remains behind the curve. To go against the grain of unhealthy food that is so convenient and easily available, many of us are beginning to question the contamination of our food.

A recent study from Finland has shown that with the usage of the weedkiller Roundup, exposure to glyphosate, the main ingredient, could adversely affect the bacteria in our gut, which could contribute to poor health.

Pere Puigbò, a researcher at the University of Turku in Finland, examined how many species of bacteria are susceptible to glyphosate-exposure damage in the typical human gut. It was concluded that if we’re exposed in sufficiently high concentrations, 54% of around 101 species of bacteria typically found in our guts could be affected.

Gut-wrenching news for health-conscious consumers! (1, 2)

Glyphosate, The Gut Punch

Glyphosate, which was introduced to the market in 1974, is a controversial broad-based weedkiller. Since then, its use has increased more than 100-fold globally.

Monsanto’s weed killer RoundUp which contains Glyphosate, is still the world’s most popular weed killer, despite Monsanto facing thousands of lawsuits from customers who now have cancer, believed to be from it’s usage, (9,000 lawsuits across the U.S.) (6)

Yet it’s not just a case of which weed killers are being used, or in what amounts. It’s how these chemicals are been introduced. It’s no secret, it’s not only what’s being sprayed.

In 1996, Monsanto introduced the Roundup Ready soybean, a genetically engineered crop resistant to glyphosate. A few years after, Roundup Ready cotton, maize, and various other crops also made their debut.
Monsanto also in the past has actually taken genes from bacteria and inserted them into a species of corn so the corn will express genes that will kill insects that eat them. (5,7)

Both are controversial examples of genetic modification in our food.

In Europe, where transgenic crops are hardly grown, more traditional methods of cropping are used, where weeds are eradicated by glyphosate prior to sowing. In addition, cereal, bean and seed crops are commonly desiccated by glyphosate before harvest. (3,4)

Puigbò concluded in the report “We believe the risk of finding glyphosate residues in Finland should be small, because desiccation of cereal fields is not allowed in Finland. However, this may not be the case in other countries.” (2)

That Gut Of Yours

In a “pocket” of your large intestine called the cecum, most of the bacteria in your intestines are contained, and they are referred to as the gut microbiota. The human gut microbiome includes up to 1,000 species of bacteria, and each of them plays a different role in the body. Most of them are highly important to health, while others can cause illness. By regulating the digestion of food, the immune system, the central nervous system, and other bodily functions, the gut microbiome actually affects the body from birth, and throughout life.

Our systems of food production are far from perfect. In an ideal world, taking a step backward to historical farming practices, and avoiding food grown with health-damaging pesticides or herbicides, may be the healthiest answer.

It’s vital to our vitality to be aware of how the food we are putting in our bodies is grown. Perhaps even, of the ‘gutmost’ importance! (1)

Pesticide and Environmental Toxin Cleanse

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