Health Crisis: The Ripple Effect from Environmental Toxins Within the Body

Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that act as messengers between neurons. The effects of neurotransmitters are far-reaching and encompass most bodily processes, including: physical and cognitive performance, weight, the perception and response to pain, sleep patterns and our emotional and mental state of being. If neurotransmitter chemicals are imbalanced, the entire body is thrown off kilter, and it is estimated[1] that 80 percent of people have some form of neurotransmitter imbalance.

A March 2010 study[2] found that toxin exposure can affect neurotransmitters  ̶  even halt their activity. This leads us to wonder: how are we affected?

There is no doubt that human exposure to toxins is on the rise. According to WHO[3]: “Unintentional poisonings kill an estimated 355,000 people globally each year. In developing countries – where two thirds of these deaths occur – such poisonings are associated strongly with excessive exposure to, and inappropriate use of, toxic chemicals. In many such settings, toxic chemicals may be emitted directly into soil, air, and water – from industrial processes, pulp and paper plants, tanning operations, mining, and unsustainable forms of agriculture – at levels or rates well in excess of those tolerable to human health.”

One of the most notorious environmental toxins is Round-Up weed killer. In 2015, WHO declared Monsanto’s signature product, Round-Up (or glyphosate), as carcinogenic[4]. However, the tables seemed to turn in 2016 as Round-Up/glyphosate was given a clean bill of health by the UN’s joint meeting on pesticides residues (JMPR), just two days before a crunch EU vote on whether to relicense it. Interestingly, later in the year, it was announced that pharma giant Bayer would be purchasing Monsanto. Bayer CEO Werner Baumann said[5], “This step is entirely logical. The two companies are a perfect fit and complement each other ideally.”

Baumann’s statement is especially troubling, given that in 2009, Scientific American[6] published a study which found “Roundup’s inert ingredients amplified the toxic effect on human cells [particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells]—even at concentrations much more diluted than those used on farms and lawns.”

A study published in the scientific journal Entropy[7] has revealed the long-term effects of glyphosate. The study found that Roundup could predispose humans to conditions such as obesity, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, etc.

In plants, Roundup interferes with a biochemical pathway called the shikimate pathway. While this pathway is not found in humans, it is found in bacteria, such as the bacteria found in a human GI tract. In the bacteria, amino acids such as tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine are depleted, which, in humans, can contribute to the diseases mentioned above.

In chickens, another study found that glyphosate could predispose chickens to carry higher levels of Salmonella or other harmful bacteria. In fact, the beneficial GI bacteria were susceptible to glyphosate, while the harmful bacteria were resistant to it.

As more and more GMO plants proliferate fields, the tolerance levels for glyphosate have been raised, allowing for more glyphosate use in crops. In the case of Roundup Ready® crops, the plants will inherently have even higher levels of glyphosate, in spite of the clinical findings indicating the dangers of glyphosate.

As the selection of non-GMO products decreases, it is all the more important that we build up a healthy immune system to ward off the detrimental effects of glyphosate. Probiotics keep harmful bacteria from multiplying in our intestines.  Tryptophan and DLPA are known to help with depression.

When we are fighting for our health, our choices in food, supplements, and lifestyle make all the difference in the world.

Ecowatch published a list of conditions that can be linked[8] to Roundup, which we’ve included below:

  • ADHD: In farming communities, there’s a strong correlation[9] between Roundup exposure and attention deficit disorder (ADHD), likely due to glyphosate’s capacity[10] to disrupt thyroid hormone functions.
  • Alzheimer’s disease: In the lab, Roundup causes the same type of oxidative stress and neural cell death[11] observed in Alzheimer’s disease. And it affects CaMKII, an enzyme whose dysregulation has also been linked to the disease.
  • Anencephaly (birth defect): An investigation into neural tube defects among babies born to women living within 1,000 meters of pesticide applications showed[12] an association for glyphosate with anencephaly, the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull and scalp that forms during embryonic development.
  • Autism: Glyphosate has a number of known biological effects that align with the known pathologies associated with autism. One of these parallels is the gut dysbiosis observed in autistic children and the toxicity of glyphosate[13] to beneficial bacteria that suppress pathogenic bacteria, along with pathogenic bacteria’s high resistance to glyphosate. In addition, glyphosate’s capacity to promote[14] aluminum accumulation in the brain may make it the principal cause of autism in the U.S.
  • Birth defects: Roundup and glyphosate can disrupt[15] the Vitamin A (retinoic acid) signaling pathway, which is crucial for normal fetal development. The babies of women living within one kilometer of fields sprayed with glyphosate were more than twice as likely to have birth defects according to a study[16] from Paraguay. Congenital defects quadrupled[17] in the decade after Roundup Ready crops arrived in Chaco, a province in Argentina where glyphosate is used roughly eight to ten times more per acre than in the U.S. A study[18] of one farming family in the U.S. documented elevated levels of glyphosate and birth defects in the children, including an imperforate anus, growth hormone deficiency, hypospadias (an abnormally placed urinary hole), a heart defect and a micro penis.
  • Brain cancer: In a study[19] of children with brain cancer compared with healthy children, researchers found that if either parent had been exposed to Roundup during the two years before the child’s birth, the chances of the child developing brain cancer doubled.
  • Breast cancer: Glyphosate induces[20] human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors. The only long-term animal study[21] of glyphosate exposure produced rats with mammary tumors and shortened life-spans.
  • Cancer: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found[22] cancer rates two to four times higher than the national average, with increases in breast, prostate and lung cancers. In a comparison[23] of two villages, in the one where Roundup was sprayed, 31 percent of residents had a family member with cancer, while only 3 percent of residents in a ranching village without spraying had one. The high cancer rates among people exposed to Roundup likely stem from glyphosate’s known capacity to induce DNA damage, which has been demonstrated in numerous lab tests.
  • Celiac disease and gluten intolerance: Fish exposed to glyphosate develop[24] digestive problems that are reminiscent of celiac disease. There are parallels between the characteristics of celiac disease and the known effects of glyphosate. These include imbalances in gut bacteria, impairment in enzymes involved with detoxifying environmental toxins, mineral deficiencies and amino acid depletion.
  • Chronic kidney disease: Increases in the use of glyphosate may explain[25] the recent surge in kidney failure among agricultural workers in Central America, Sri Lanka and India. Scientists have concluded, “Although glyphosate alone does not cause an epidemic of chronic kidney disease, it seems to have acquired the ability to destroy the renal tissues of thousands of farmers when it forms complexes with [hard water] and nephrotoxic metals.”
  • Colitis: The toxicity[26] of glyphosate to beneficial bacteria that suppress clostridia, along with clostridia’s high resistance to glyphosate, could be a significant predisposing factor in the overgrowth of clostridia. Overgrowth of clostridia, specifically C. difficile, is a well-established causal factor in colitis.
  • Depression: Glyphosate disrupts chemical processes that impact[27] the production of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite and sleep. Serotonin impairment has been linked to depression.
  • Diabetes: Low levels of testosterone are a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Rats fed environmentally relevant doses of Roundup over a period of 30 days spanning the onset of puberty had reduced[28] testosterone production sufficient to alter testicular cell morphology and to delay the onset of puberty.
  • Heart disease: Glyphosate can disrupt the body’s enzymes, causing[29] lysosomal dysfunction, a major factor in cardiovascular disease and heart failure.
  • Hypothyroidism: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found[30] higher rates of hypothyroidism.
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (“Leaky Gut Syndrome”): Glyphosate can induce[31] severe tryptophan deficiency, which can lead to an extreme inflammatory bowel disease that severely impairs the ability to absorb nutrients through the gut, due to inflammation, bleeding and diarrhea.
  • Liver disease: Very low doses of Roundup can disrupt human liver cell function, according to a 2009 study[32] published in Toxicology.
  • Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS): Sulfate deficiency in the brain has been associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Glyphosate disrupts[33] sulfate transport from the gut to the liver, and may lead over time to severe sulfate deficiency throughout all the tissues, including the brain.
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS): An increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) has been found in association with MS. Glyphosate may be[34] a causal factor. The hypothesis[35] is that glyphosate-induced IBS causes gut bacteria to leak into the vasculature, triggering an immune reaction and consequently an autoimmune disorder resulting in destruction of the myelin sheath.
  • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A systematic review[36] and a series of meta-analyses of nearly three decades worth of epidemiologic research on the relationship between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides found that B cell lymphoma was positively associated with glyphosate.
  • Parkinson’s disease: The brain-damaging effects of herbicides have been recognized as the main environmental factor associated with neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. The onset of Parkinson’s following exposure to glyphosate has been well documented[37] and lab studies show[38] that glyphosate induces the cell death characteristic of the disease.
  • Pregnancy problems (infertility, miscarriages, stillbirths): Glyphosate is toxic to human placental cells, which, scientists say[39], explains the pregnancy problems of agricultural workers exposed to the herbicide.
  • Obesity: An experiment involving the transfer of a strain of endotoxin-producing bacteria from the gut of an obese human to the guts of mice caused the mice to become obese. Since glyphosate induces a shift in gut bacteria towards endotoxin-producers, glyphosate exposure may contribute[40] to obesity in this way.
  • Reproductive problems:  Studies[41] of laboratory animals have found that male rats exposed to high levels of glyphosate, either during prenatal or pubertal development, suffer from reproductive problems, including delayed puberty, decreased sperm production, and decreased testosterone production.
  • Respiratory illnesses: House-to-house surveys of 65,000 people in farming communities in Argentina where Roundup is used, known there as the fumigated towns, found[42] higher rates of chronic respiratory illnesses.

Bayer purchasing Monsanto: “A perfect fit and complement each other ideally,” according to Bayer CEO Werner Baumann. The question that remains is: are they the perfect fit for humanity and ideally for a healthy society? The clinical studies prove they are not.

[1] https://www.drlamcoaching.com/adrenal-fatigue/complications/chemical-imbalance-neurotransmitters-and-afs/

[2]https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.1425

[3] https://guardian.ng/opinion/clear-and-present-danger-of-environmental-chemicals/

[4] https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MonographVolume112-1.pdf

[5] https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayer-boosted-by-recently-launched-drugs-1477466756

[6] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-whacking-herbicide-p/

[7] http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416/pdf

[8] https://www.ecowatch.com/bayer-ending-glyphosate-sales-us-market-2654298339.html

[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241196/

[10] https://sustainablepulse.com/2013/04/27/dr-swanson-gmos-and-roundup-increase-chronic-diseases-infertility-and-birth-defects/#.YqDnaxrMJPY

[11] https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-weedkiller-brain-damaging-neurotoxin

[12] https://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2004/07000/Neural_Tube_Defects_and_Maternal_Residential.499.aspx

[13] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[14] https://www.autismone.org/content/autism-explained-synergistic-poisoning-aluminum-and-glyphosate-stephanie-seneff

[15] https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749

[16] http://scielo.iics.una.py/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1683-98032007000200002&lng=en&nrm=iso

[17] http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/10/agrochemical_spraying_in_argen.html

[18] https://www.scirp.org/pdf/JEP20120900003_93164685.pdf

[19] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702394/

[20] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278691513003633

[21] https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-014-0014-5

[22] http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/10/agrochemical_spraying_in_argen.html

[23] https://truthout.org/articles/monsanto-s-roundup-linked-to-cancer/

[24] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/

[25] https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/2/2125

[26] https://www.nvlv.nl/downloads/2012-Krueger,%20M-glyphosate%20effects.pdf

[27] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[28] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[29] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[30] Potential effects of agrochemicals in Argentina – Photos – The Big Picture – Boston.com

[31] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[32] https://www.organicconsumers.org/scientific/monsantos-roundup-more-deadly-liver-cells-glyphosate-alone

[33] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[34] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[35] https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Definition-of-MS/Myelin

[36] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23756170/

[37] https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-herbicide-linked-parkinsons-related-brain-damage

[38] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0892036212000438

[39] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257596/

[40] https://www.gmoevidence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/GlyModern-diseaseSamsel-Seneff-13-1.pdf

[41] https://www.epa.gov/ace/pdfs/ACE3_2013.pdf

[42] http://archive.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/10/agrochemical_spraying_in_argen.html