Food Systems at War with Life Itself
“In the last decade, we’ve found microbial dysbiosis (imbalance of the microbiome) leads to our most common ailments. In this regard, we’re starting to realize glyphosate behaves similar to an antibiotic, killing the gut flora and bacteria that are responsible for, among many other physiological processes, putting the nutrients from our food to good use.”
Photo by Ali Tarhini on Unsplash.
WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW THE WORD GLYPHOSATE
When you hear someone mention genetically modified foods, they’re often talking about plants that are “Roundup Ready,” or modified to tolerate the herbicide glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup. Glyphosate is the most heavily applied herbicide (weed killer) in the world and has increased 100-fold in global use since the 1970’s, at about 300 million pounds sprayed in the US each year. [2]
While this compound was presumably created with good intention—to kill the “bad plants” and deliver more food to more people—its toxicity (to both the human body and natural ecosystem) has been questioned, and now tested, for decades, and there’s very little being done about it by the powers that be. More than 13,000 lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto, the creator of Roundup, and just a couple of years ago, a couple was awarded $2 billion in damages, as they blamed glyphosate for their contraction of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. [3]
A CLOSER LOOK AT CANCER ALLEY
Studies funded by Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, will tell you the compound is lethal to weeds and harmless to people at its legal rates of application, but scientists have also found glyphosate inexplicably in untreated foods [4], bodies of water and even rain. Most notably, glyphosate is found in communities around the Mississippi River, which is downstream from our country’s biggest agricultural farmlands—potentially experiencing high volumes of glyphosate by way of rain runoff into the river’s tributaries, which funnel down into the south and out into the ocean. [5]
The CDC’s most up-to-date (2019) map of cancer mortality by state (view here).
The last 90 miles of the Mississippi River is commonly referred to as “Cancer Alley.” The greater region has the highest rates of cancer deaths in the country (above). If you research cancer alley, you’ll find press attributing cancer rates to air pollution, but look at a map of obesity or diabetes and you’ll see this part of our country is sick on several fronts, seemingly unrelated to air quality.
THE SHIKIMATE PATHWAY & GUT HEALTH
How does this herbicide work and why would it be causing problems in humans? Glyphosate works by inhibiting the production of a specific enzyme (EPSPS), which is part of a series of biochemical reactions called the shikimate pathway. When these reactions are blocked, the organism dies. Early assertions by Monsanto said that targeting the EPSPS enzyme has no impact on the human body, given that human cells don’t have the shikimate pathway like plants do. But we’re starting to put together the pieces that the essential bacteria that live on and in our bodies do have the shikimate pathway. In the last decade, we’ve found microbial dysbiosis (imbalance of the microbiome) leads to our most common ailments. [6] In this regard, we’re starting to realize glyphosate behaves similar to an antibiotic, killing the gut flora and bacteria that are responsible for, among many other physiological processes, putting the nutrients from our food to good use.
“Many strains of gut bacteria do have the shikimate pathway, leading to debate as to whether Roundup and glyphosate could affect the gut microbiome. Imbalances in gut bacteria have been linked with many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and depression.” [6]
HERBICIDES & ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Part of the miracle of life on this planet is that it adapts and, unsurprisingly, weeds and crops are growing resistant to glyphosate, which is why a new chemical, LibertyLink, has now popped up on the scene. The Illinois Soybean Association notes, “With a lot of resistant weeds, growers need a way to rotate away from glyphosate and use an additional solution for managing herbicide resistance.” So, knowing glyphosate behaves similar to antibiotics in our system, the question is: what implications does this have for a human who has been, knowingly or unknowingly, consuming herbicides, pesticides and other antimicrobial compounds for their entire life?
A 2017 study published by the American Society for Microbiology indeed found a correlation between three herbicides—glyphosate included—and antibiotic resistance, noting that exposure changed bacteria’s response to antibiotics like ciprofloxacin (cipro), and tetracycline – two drugs widely prescribed to treat a host of bacterial infections, from sinusitis to sexually transmitted diseases and beyond. [7]
Outpatient prescriptions of antibiotics by state (view here)
This is a startling revelation given that antibiotic abuse is already a massive public health problem. Resistance to antibiotics means ailments that were previously treatable could become deadly—and now we’re finding we could be increasing our resistance without consuming a single pill. We knew this was happening with consuming antibiotic-treated livestock, but in our grains? Vegetables? Water supply?
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HUMANITY
For what we can presume is capital-driven conflicts of interest, government-funded studies have been squashed for some time, so we don’t know for sure the damage long-term exposure to herbicides can do—the evidence is surmounting that it’s not great. But even if we put aside the conversation about glyphosate’s toxicity, we are 100% certain that it destroys biodiversity in our soil. We know herbicides, pesticides and antibiotics are robbing our microbiomes of its maximum diversity of bacteria and we now know microbial diversity to be critical to our health. We need the earthworms, the bees, the bugs and bacteria on and around our food because—simply put—they create food for the trillions of healthy bacteria that live on and within us.
Without intervention, our soil will (who knows how soon) be completely stripped of the nutrients that feed our microbiome. We are ridding nature of its ability to nourish us, which is driving up healthcare costs, our dependence on government funding and pharmaceuticals. Ironically, Monsanto is owned by Bayer which is why environmental groups are so up in arms about this—the pharmaceutical companies are profiting off a public health problem they’re creating.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Buy organic. Every time you buy at the grocery, you are voting with your dollars and demanding our government support sustainable farming practices.
Buy local. Look for community supported agriculture or farm share in your region and buy directly from the farm. I made my first purchase at a local farm weeks ago. The first thing I noticed is that there were bugs on my kale and, knowing what I now know about biodiversity, I thanked them for being there (before gently washing them off).
Plant something you can eat. Even if it’s just herbs, the closer you can be to the origin of your food, the more you will understand and value all that goes into sustaining a human being. When growing your food, it becomes intuitively obvious just how unsustainable mass production is.
Learn more. I highly recommend watching this short documentary, which follows one family’s transition from conventional farming to regenerative agriculture and listening to this pod interview with Dr. Zach Bush, a pioneer in soil, ecological and personal health.
Ask questions. “What’s in this?” is a good start.
Set an intention for the planet. Our minds are so powerful. When you set an intention, you will begin to subconsciously face your thoughts and behavior toward that intention. That’s science, too! So, today, knowing this information, let’s all do our part to set an intention. To respect and honor the absolutely perfect ecosystem that was here all along.
Aside from drinking water, eating food is the central force of our survival here on this planet and we as a society have entirely excluded ourselves from the process, handing over the reigns to a system driven by profit. Re-insert yourself in this conversation. Do your research. It’s painful waking up to the state of our world, but it’s critical. Reversing the road to human extinction starts right there within you. We’re all in this together.
Leigh Maneri is an IACT-Certified Hypnotherapist committed to helping others know and love themselves more deeply. Learn more about how hypnotherapy can help you live a life most aligned with your authentic truth at trueleigh.com or follow Leigh's journey on Instagram @true.leigh.
CITATIONS
2. Myers JP, Antoniou MN, Blumberg B, et al. Concerns over use of glyphosate-based herbicides and risks associated with exposures: a consensus statement. Environ Health. 2016;15:19. Published 2016 Feb 17. doi:10.1186/s12940-016-0117-0
3. Gonzales R. California Jury Awards $2 Billion To Couple In Roundup Weed Killer Cancer Trial. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/05/13/723056453/california-jury-awards-2-billion-to-couple-in-roundup-weed-killer-cancer-trial. Published May 14, 2019.
4. Gillam C. Weedkiller found in granola and crackers, internal FDA emails show. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/30/fda-weedkiller-glyphosate-in-food-internal-emails. Published April 30, 2018.
5. Office of Communications. USGS Newsroom. USGS Release: Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mississippi River Basin (8/29/2011 8:19:35 AM). https://archive.usgs.gov/archive/sites/www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp-ID=2909.html.
6. Robinson C, Perro M. Glyphosate and Roundup Disrupt the Gut Microbiome by Inhibiting the Shikimate Pathway. GMO Science. https://www.gmoscience.org/glyphosate-and-roundup-disrupt-the-gut-microbiome-by-inhibiting-the-shikimate-pathway/. Published January 15, 2020.
7. Sublethal Exposure to Commercial Formulations of the Herbicides Dicamba, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, and Glyphosate Cause Changes in Antibiotic Susceptibility in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium Brigitta Kurenbach, Delphine Marjoshi, Carlos F. Amábile-Cuevas, Gayle C. Ferguson, William Godsoe, Paddy Gibson, Jack A. Heinemann mBio Mar 2015, 6 (2) e00009-15; DOI: 10.1128/mBio.00009-15