You’ve seen the commercials. All American Dad, pump sprayer in hand, attacking those pesky weeds growing in the cracks of his family’s driveway with a vengeance. He chooses Roundup, of course.
Why? Â Because Roundup kills weeds to the root so they won’t come back making you the laughingstock of your suburban neighborhood.
Roundup, Roundup everywhere. Most homeowners use it without a second thought. Many schools even use it, blithely spraying around planting beds and sidewalks where children walk and play, tracking its residues into classrooms, cars, homes and little bodies.
Roundup is indisputably the King of Herbicides and one of Monsanto’s most lucrative crown jewels. Not only is it widely used by consumers, it is also heavily used by industrial agriculture – more popular than any other herbicide worldwide. Its residues are found on the staple crops of the Western diet – sugar, corn, soy and wheat – and in the plethora of processed foods made with these foods as well. Â In particular, GMO corn and soy are heavily doused in Roundup as these crops are genetically engineered to be immune to its withering effects.
The trouble is, while Roundup is highly effective at killing weeds, it’s also proving highly effective at killing us too – slowly but surely and insidiously – via Roundup’s deadly active ingredient – glyphosate.
While the pesticide industry maintains that glyphosate is minimally toxic to humans, new research published in the Journal Entropy strongly argues otherwise by shedding light on exactly how glyphosate disrupts mammalian physiology.
Authored by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff of MIT, the paper investigates glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, an overlooked component of lethal toxicity to mammals.
In the in-depth video interview below on her groundbreaking research, Dr. Seneff describes the mechanism by which the glyphosate in Roundup disrupts human biological processes.
The currently accepted view is that glyphosate is not harmful to humans or any mammals because the shikimate pathway found in plants is absent in animals. Â The shikimate pathway is involved with the plant’s synthesis of certain amino acids and is lethally disrupted by glyphosate.
What has been completely overlooked until now is that the shikimate pathway is present in beneficial gut bacteria, which play a critical role in human health. Gut bacteria aid digestion, prevent permeability of the gastrointestinal tract, synthesize vitamins and provide the foundation for robust immunity.
Glyphosate Disrupts the Functioning of Beneficial Gut Bacteria
In synergy with disruption of the biosynthesis of important amino acids via the shikimate pathway, glyphosate inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes produced by the gut microbiome. CYP enzymes are critical to human biology because they detoxify the multitude of foreign chemical compounds, xenobiotics, that we are exposed to in our modern environment today.
As a result, humans exposed to glyphosate through the use of Roundup in their community or through the ingestion of its residues on industrialized food products become even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of other chemicals and environmental toxins they encounter!
What’s worse is that the negative impact of glyphosate exposure is slow and insidious over months and years as inflammation gradually gains a foothold in the cellular systems of the body.
The consequences of this systemic inflammation are most of the diseases and conditions associated with the Western lifestyle:
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Depression
- Autism
- Infertility
- Cancer
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- And the list goes on and on and on …
In summary, Dr. Seneff’s study of Roundup’s ghastly glyphosate uncovers the manner in which this lethal environmental toxin gradually and inevitably disrupts homeostasis in the human body with the tragic end result of disease, degeneration, and widespread suffering.
Still want to “shoot” those weeds this weekend with some Roundup and buy those unlabeled, GMO laced processed foods in the pretty packages at the supermarket?
In addition, Roundup residue in organic hydroponics is possible as there is no transition period from conventional farming. Stick with soil based organics!
References
Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases
Institute of Responsible Technology: Monsanto’s Herbicide–Featuring the Darth Vader Chemical
More Toxic Than Declared
More Information
Toxic Wheat
Glyphosate used on DOZENS of Food CropsÂ
Dutch Ban Glyphosate, France and Brazil Likely to Soon Follow
We can all sign Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley’s petition to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act:
Yes, thank you it is Vital to get this word out! because of ignorance we partner with these big corporations and are literally poisoning ourselves and loved ones. we need to make drastic changes in our lifestyles, what we eat, and how we handle things. also one extremely important note: perhaps more of you are finally hearing about the bees plight, which is having dire devastation for the bees and ultimately our food sourcesl there are some important petitions out now to try to help save the bees. time is urgent. And Monsanto and Bayer products (such as you are informing about) are the biggest contributors to the crisis.
Nobody is against the farmers, Keith. We just want to know what we are eating and all the studies bought by Monsanto naturally favors them and the other purveyors of GMO foods.
If GMO’s are so safe, why do they fight the labeling of same so the consumers can decide what they feed to their families? These foods and herbicides like Roundup also affect the very young more than adults because their bodies haven’t the fully functioning immune system as older adults. If there is one grain of doubt about the safety of roundup or gmo products, we should label them and let the consumer make an informed choice.
For example wheat is a cross of 3 grasses that humans developed 10,000 years ago. Has that modification proven ok? Wheat didn’t happen naturally.
GMO products are the most studied food product in Human history before being allowed to be used. They are safe!
GMO crops allow us to grow more grain on the same acres with way less chemicals (hebicides and insecticides). Better weed control means less tillage so we use less fuel and produce less exhaust meaning cleaner air. Less tillage to control weeds means less erosion. Better for the environment.
We as farmers are doing our best to the grow the 3 f’s (food, fiber a fuel) for a world that needs these products. To take these tools like GMO away because of a missinformed and scared population would be a bad thing for the future of mankind!
Yeah, right. Cite your studies.
Keith – your comment sounds manufactured: very robotic way of presenting your case.
Keith – If you haven’t watched the referenced video, you really should. Then, decide whether you feel comfortable feeding Roundup Ready GMO crops to your family. I, personally, am not comfortable feeding these foods to my loved ones. I hope one day our world’s farmers come to view this issue the way I do, and use more organic methods to produce our food supply.
Actually, there are many alternative health practitioners who advise against eating wheat. I have read where people have problems eating modern wheat but no problem eating the ancient grains. Studying food products does not mean they are safe. And our modern farming techniques are not necessarily good for the planet. Why are the bees dying? Why don’t we know? If our science is so wonderful, why don’t we have the cure for cancer, why can’t we prevent it? Why do we still have a problem with sick bees? And the studies done that prove the safety of Roundup… who paid for them? In this country, we have the companies that profit from the products do the studies. Or we have universities that are funded by those companies do the studies. Hardly unbiased studies. And no matter how much you study anything, there can be something that was missed.
Wheat has become a problem for many people. Why are people suddenly buying up gluten free products? This is a recent development. What changed in the wheat production other than the farmers spraying Roundup on the wheat before harvest?
Somehow, the ability to produce more food that makes people sick, doesn’t seem like it is better for the future of mankind.
“Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of dandelion during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.” WebMD
Most herbs have this warning.
Many doctors encourage avoidance of GMOs during pregnancy due to the unknown effects on the baby.
I will bet there has been more studies and testing of the safety of eating GMO crops than eating dandelions. Have dandelions been proven safe to eat???
Um, in Europe they are a delicacy and have been eaten long before Roundup even existed. People go to farmer’s markets to get dandelions.
And there are no long term GMO safety studies. NONE.
Hand pulling most weeds is like give the plant a hair cut. If you don’t kill the roots they will grow back.
We do not use weed killer because we eat some of those “weeds” that people despise so much LOL
I just watched the entire video. Wow, this is incredible. I imagine most people are not watching the video, I would so encourage everyone to WATCH THE VIDEO:) Great post!!! People please send this out to as many people as possible. People really need to hear what is in this video….it ties into so much in all our lives…..ourselves, loved ones, friends.