The Health Hazards of GMOs, Pesticides & Glyphosate

GMOs, pesticides, herbicides and Roundup ready glyphosate have been linked to several health hazards including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, significant inflammation, faulty insulin regulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, mental health disorders, autoimmune disease, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.

In the United States, 90% of acres planted are from genetically modified seeds. Genetically engineered (GE) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), an infective process where a cell is injected with foreign material. They’re often referred to as frankenfoods. Many educated consumers are pushing for either banning GMO crops or at least requiring GMO labeling.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. Exposure to glyphosate is partially to blame for rising rates of autism, neurological disorders, digestive ailments, and chronic diseases. Scientific evidence continues to escalate that glyphosate is more toxic than DDT.

Glyphosate was originally patented as a mineral chelator, which causes vital nutrients to be removed from the body. It is also patented as a potent antibiotic that can destroy human gut bacteria. A 2015 study published in the journal of the American Society of Microbiology linked glyphosate with the growing public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. The study found that the herbicide changed the way bacteria responded to antibiotics such as ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline – drugs extensively used to treat deadly diseases.

Glyphosate is widely used in yards, fields and gardens across the U.S. with farmers spraying millions of acres of crops with them each year.

In 1990, 35 million liters of pesticides were sprayed on fields; in 2013 over 300 million liters were sprayed and that number continues to rise.

Sources of GMOs, Pesticides and Glyphosate

• 90% or more of all soybeans and soy-derived ingredients, rice, corn (flours, syrups and sweeteners), canola and cottonseed oils, and sugar beets grown in the U.S. are genetically modified! Approximately 55% of the sugar produced in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, 95% have been genetically engineered.
• GMOs are found in ALL processed foods, some fruits and vegetables, and in alarming quantities in animal feed and pet food. If you eat processed foods and non-organic, factory-farmed animal protein, you’re consuming glyphosate residues.
• All grains are sprayed with Round Up (glyphosate). Besides wheat and grains, glyphosate is applied on barley, oats, canola, sunflower, flax, peas, lentils, dry beans and sugar cane.
• Dairy products from cows injected with rbGM, a GM hormone
• Meat and eggs from animals that have eaten GM feed (i.e. corn, soy, alfalfa)
• Food additives, artificial sweeteners, flavorings and processing agents, and rennet used to make hard cheeses
• Flaxseed oil and vegetable oils (corn, soybean, canola, safflower, rapeseed, cottonseed)
• Honey and bee pollen that may have genetically-modified sources of pollen
• Non-food items that may contain GM ingredients include personal care products, aspartame found in some supplements, children’s vitamins, OTC medications and laxatives.
• Other items containing GMOs include infant formula, pet food, peanut butter, conventional factory-farmed animal protein, candy, beer, alcohol, salad dressing, coffee, bread, cereals, crackers, canned soup, cookies, chocolate, chewing gum, fried food, chips, juice, margarine, mayonnaise, hamburgers, veggie burgers, hotdogs, ice cream, frozen yogurt, tofu, soy sauce, soy cheese, tomato sauce, some protein powders, baking powder, vanilla, sugar, flour and pasta.

The Health Hazards of GMOs, Pesticides & Glyphosate

A growing body of evidence connects GMOs, glyphosate, herbicides and pesticides with serious health problems, environmental damage, and violation of farmer’s and consumer’s rights.

A study published in the Journal of Biological Science reported numerous health hazards from GMOs and pesticides. Another study published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology reported on the results of a 2-year study in which animals were given GM maize laced with Roundup. The end result was cancer, unsightly tumors, organ failure and premature death.

Laboratory and epidemiological studies of those exposed to GMOs and glyphosate confirm that it poses SERIOUS health risks including . . .

• Infertility, reproductive problems, birth defects
• Neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, autism
• Accelerated aging
• Hormone-sensitive cancers
• Increased allergies
• Major GI problems, digestive ailments, leaky gut, dysbiosis, altered microbiome, increased intestinal infections
• Faulty insulin regulation
• Antibiotic resistance
• Organ pathologies in the liver, ovaries, testes, adrenals, kidnesy and pancreas
• Behavioral problems, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• High cholesterol
• Weight gain and higher incidence of mortality

A January 2014 study published in the Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology reported that the amount of glyphosate was significantly higher in the urine of chronically-ill people compared to healthy people.

— Glyphosate is a potent carcinogen, an excitotoxin to the brain, a toxic antibiotic that kills good bacteria, disrupts gut bacteria, and alters the microbiome.

— Roundup-ready glyphosate is a chelating agent, particularly chelating vital trace minerals such as magnesium, manganese, iron, molybdenum and cobalt from the body.

— Glyphosate is destructive to the gut, liver, kidneys, brain and immune system. It’s linked to a myriad of chronic illnesses. Symptoms from exposure to glyphosate include eye irritation, blurred vision, skin rashes, burning or itchy skin, nausea, sore throat and difficulty breathing, headache, lethargy, nose bleeds and dizziness.

— Glyphosate have been detected in air, rain, groundwater, in people’s urine, and even circulating in people’s blood.

— Glyphosate can cross the placental barrier and the unborn fetus can be exposed. Children, newborns and pregnant women face the greatest potential hazards from pesticides and GMOs. According to a study published in Pediatrics, children who have high levels of pesticide residues are 93 percent more likely to have ADHD. Another study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that pregnant women who live near farms where pesticides are applied had a 60% higher risk of having children with autism.

— Glyphosate causes birth defects and tumors in animals, and sharp declines in beneficial insects and bees. Bees consuming pollen from GE plants have shortened life spans and loss of sense of smell. Cows that are fed genetically engineered soybeans have changes in hormone levels and milk content. Toxicity is moving up the food chain. There is severely impaired health and even death in animals from consuming insects that were fed crops infected with toxins, glyphosate and pesticides.

— At lower concentrations of Roundup and glyphosate, the main endocrine disruptor is a decrease in testosterone by 35 percent. (Toxicology in Vitro 26 (201) 269-279).

Animals given a free choice will not touch GE crops unless they’re starving. Every study, including those by the industry itself shows adverse reactions to animals that eat GE crops.

— Even at low levels, pesticides affect insulin-binding receptors and have a negative impact on gut microbiotia. Gestational exposure to several common pesticides can induce developmental neurotoxicity in humans, and has been associated with developmental delay and autism. [Source: Environ Health Perspectives]

— Research lead by a team from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand has found that commonly used herbicides, including the world’s most used herbicide Roundup, can cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.

Pesticide exposure has been linked to gut dysfunction, leaky gut, food allergies and food sensitivities, decreased testosterone levels, increased estrogen load, neurodegenerative and cognitive dysfunction, systemic botulism, birth defects, infertility, weight gain, IBS, cancer and more.

The negative side effects of pesticides can take years to show up, and by the time symptoms are clear the damage may have already been done.

Do You Know What You’re Eating?

There are unique PLU codes on fruits and vegetables for organic, conventionally grown and GM, which is usually 4 digits. A fifth digit may be prefixed to the code to indicate whether the fruit or vegetable is organic (prefixed by the numeral 9) or GM (prefixed by an 8).

• Conventional apple. Grown with chemicals. The PLU code consists of four numbers, such as 4021
• GM apple. The PLU code consists of five numbers beginning with the number 8, such as 84021.
• Organic apple. The PLU code begins with the number 9, such as 94021.

Processed foods are genetically engineered and don’t carry PLU codes. Ingredients in processed foods specifically corn, canola oil and soy are genetically modified and should be avoided at all costs.

Tips to Avoid GMOs, Pesticides and Glyphosate

Many pesticides are systemic, meaning that the pesticides are taken up by the plant’s roots and distributed throughout the plant, so unfortunately while washing fruits and veggies is important, no amount of washing completely removes them. Included in this class of pesticides are genetically engineered crops, which express an endotoxin that is impossible to wash off.

— Avoid all processed, packaged and canned foods, fake foods and fast foods, non-organic foods

— Stick with real food. Real food has not been injected with hormones, antibiotics, synthetic hormones or sprayed with poisonous pesticides and glyphosate. Real food does NOT come from a factory farm and is NOT found at a drive up window. Real food does NOT contain dyes and colorings, soybean, corn or canola oil, artificial sweeteners, trans fats, chemicals, preservatives or fructose corn syrup.

— Buy organic. Eating organic foods for just one week can reduce pesticide levels in the body nearly 90 percent! Organic fruits and veggies have 20-40% more antioxidants, fewer pesticide residues and lower levels of cadmium compared to conventional produce.

— Be proactive! Educate yourself, your family and friends regarding food quality and what’s really happening to our food supply, crops and livestock feeding.

— Always buy the Environmental Working Group’s list of “Dirty Dozen” veggies and fruit as organic

— Buy certified-organic products: fruit and veggies, grass-fed butter and meats, free-range pastured poultry and eggs.

A study in the Journal of Environmental Research found that eating an organic diet for just one week can reduce pesticide levels in adults nearly 90%

— Read the list of ingredients on every single product and specifically avoid soy and soybean oil, corn (syrup, meal, starch), canola, cottonseed and all vegetable oils, sugar, Hawaiian papaya and conventional, factory-farmed animal protein. Avoid these ingredients at all costs.

— Follow the lifestyle principles found on my blog and the valuable information in my books, The Power of 4 and Fat Loss Revolution.

— When eating at a restaurant, ask what type of oil they cook with

— Plant a garden. Use non-GMO seeds

— Swap out toxic pesticide and lawn chemicals for organic weed and pest control alternatives

— Look for “verified non-GMO” labeling and “certified organic” labeling

• Download, print and use the Non-GMO Shopping Guide
• Download the Healthy Food Shopping Guide
• Plant milkweed plants to attract birds, bees and butterflies. Also, fennel, parsley and dill.
• Understand that nutrient density is the fundamental quality standard for food.
• All grains have high levels of mycotoxins, which disrupt hormones. All grains are sprayed with Round Up (glyphosate), a potent carcinogen, an excitotoxin to the brain, a toxic antibiotic that kills good bacteria, disrupts gut bacteria and alters the microbiome. Besides wheat and grains, glyphosate is applied on barley, oats, canola, sunflower, flax, peas, lentils, dry beans and sugar cane.

Round Up is destructive to the gut, liver, kidney, brain, immune system, and is linked to a myriad of chronic illnesses and diseases. Round Up is a chelating agent, particularly chelating vital trace minerals such as magnesium, manganese, iron, molybdenum and colbalt from the body.

Besides wheat, glyphosate is applied on barley, oats, canola, sunflower, flax, peas, lentils, dry beans and sugar cane.

Together, we have the power to stop the chemical technology industry from destroying our food supply, the future of our children, and the earth as a whole. If just 5% of American shoppers simply STOP buying genetically engineered foods, the food industry would have to reconsider their source of ingredients regardless of whether the products have an actual GMO label or not.

“Someday we shall look back on this dark era of agriculture and shake our heads. How could we have ever believed that it was a good idea to grow our food with poison.” —Dr. Jane Goodall

Related Articles

• The EWG’s Dirty Dozen List
• Video: How to Identify Genetically Engineered Foods
• Clinical Pearls from the IAACN Conference
• Video: Avoid these Foods