A Critical Look at Glyphosate 50 years on

The chemical that is everywhere today but was nowhere in 1975

At Uncivilized, but also at Patchwork, one of the things that we've done is really take a view on where are we now as humans in society, where were our grandparents at the same age, and what has changed?

One of the major changes in modern life has become the ubiquitous use of glyphosate in almost all crop farming in America and some in Europe.

Having dug into the science on the individual areas of the body from microbiome to liver health to neuro-energy, I've never really taken a whole body view of what is what glyphosate really does to someone.

My understanding, as I've told my parents many times before researching this post, was that glyphosate is bad because it suppresses good bacteria and it slows down your liver's detox system.

But, oh my god... It is so much worse.

Let's back up and then dive in.

What is Glyphosate and how is it used today?

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant widely used in agriculture, horticulture, and various other applications. It was first introduced by Monsanto in 1974 under the trade name Roundup.

That's right, the Roundup that you buy from Home Depot and you spray on the weeds on your front lawn is the same glyphosate that is leaking into the water system and you are making the problem worse.

Glyphosate works by targeting a specific enzymatic pathway in plants to kill them.

The underlying crops that you want to use on are then genetically modified to be glyphosate resistant. So you primarily use it to kill weeds surrounding genetically modified crops.

“But I don’t eat GM crops”

And this is where it gets even more interesting. In the U.S., it's then used on non-genetically modified crops when they're ready for harvest. By killing them quicker and drying them out more rapidly, you can actually harvest grain from crops faster.

And as it's generally understood to not affect humans, there's no need to remove the glyphosate from the plants before they're used to produce food.

In Great Britain, it is approved for use until December 15, 2025 - most likely this will be extended, but glyphosate is expensive, and it's used much less in the U.K. due to its cost.

The global market size for Glyphosate was estimated at $10.92 billion in 2024

What are the health impacts of Glyphosate?

Whilst my original description to my parents around what Glyphosate does was not incorrect, it was simply incomplete. For too long, glyphosate has passed under the radar because the enzymatic pathway that is designed to affect it, which doesn't exist in humans.

However, if you look at acute issues or break down the actual systems in the human body, glyphosate causes havoc everywhere.

Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress

Research has demonstrated that glyphosate can induce oxidative stress and cytotoxic effects in mammals. This study examined the impact of glyphosate on human prostate epithelial cells, finding that exposure led to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell viability reduction.

Similarly, this study observed an antioxidant imbalance in human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) upon glyphosate exposure, suggesting that oxidative damage is a key mechanism of glyphosate-induced cytotoxicity.

Gut Microbiome Disruption

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in human health, and emerging evidence suggests that glyphosate may disrupt microbial homeostasis.

This study highlighted that environmental pollutants, including glyphosate, alter the gut microbiome, potentially leading to metabolic disorders. Additionally, Krüger et al. (2013) found that glyphosate suppresses beneficial Enterococcus species, which play a role in inhibiting the proliferation of Clostridium botulinum (the cause of botulism), a harmful pathogen.

Such alterations in gut microbial balance could have far-reaching health consequences, including immune dysregulation and inflammatory diseases.

Liver Toxicity and Metabolic Disorders

Glyphosate exposure has been linked to liver toxicity and metabolic disturbances. This study reported an association between glyphosate excretion and the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with fatty liver disease.

Similarly, this study demonstrated that glyphosate exacerbates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice fed a Western diet, suggesting a potential synergistic effect between diet and glyphosate in metabolic disorders.

Carcinogenic Potential

The carcinogenicity (cancer causing ability) of glyphosate remains a contentious issue in scientific and regulatory discussions. While the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans," regulatory agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have contested this classification.

Zhang et al. (2019) conducted a meta-analysis and found a significant association between glyphosate exposure and increased risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, adding to the growing concern over glyphosate's role in cancer development.

Endocrine Disruption and Reproductive Health

Glyphosate has also been implicated in endocrine disruption and reproductive health issues. This study reviewed the pleiotropic effects of glyphosate exposure, noting its potential to interfere with hormone signaling pathways, leading to reproductive and developmental toxicity.

The study underscored the herbicide's capacity to disrupt estrogenic activity, which may contribute to adverse reproductive outcomes in both males and females.

Neurological Implications

There is emerging evidence that glyphosate exposure may contribute to neurological dysfunction. This study hypothesized a link between glyphosate and celiac disease, proposing that glyphosate's impact on gut microbiota could indirectly influence neurological health.

While direct neurotoxic effects remain underexplored, the disruption of gut-brain axis signaling due to glyphosate exposure warrants further investigation.

Repeatedly we see people with no genetic predisposition to gluten intolerance having awful experiences when they eat gluten. Without gluten degrading bacteria in your gut (killed off by glyphosate), no human is evolved to digest such a large gluten load.

Hepatic Antioxidant System Disruption

This study demonstrated that glyphosate disrupts the hepatic redox balance by upregulating metallothionein I and II gene expression, suggesting an adaptive response to oxidative damage.

Their findings indicate that antioxidants such as quercetin may mitigate glyphosate-induced hepatic damage, highlighting the potential for dietary interventions in reducing its toxicity.

Microbial Degradation and Environmental Persistence

While microbial degradation of glyphosate is a natural mechanism to reduce environmental contamination, its breakdown products, such as aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), raise additional concerns.

This study reviewed microbial degradation pathways, noting that some glyphosate metabolites may persist in the environment and contribute to long-term health risks through bioaccumulation.

Conclusion on health

The cumulative evidence suggests that glyphosate exposure poses multiple health risks, including oxidative stress, gut microbiome disruption, liver toxicity, carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, and potential neurological effects.

While regulatory agencies continue to debate its safety, the breadth of scientific findings highlights the necessity for stringent risk assessments and further research into its long-term effects.

Given the widespread use of glyphosate in modern agriculture, you should consider precautionary approaches to minimize exposure and explore safer alternatives.

How am I or my family exposed?

Luckily, as this is an issue that many nonprofits are increasingly frustrated by, there's been pretty widespread testing on glyphosate exposure in the food and environmental systems.

Every single study that has measured for glyphosate residues in human urine has found it.

Water

In June 2022, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a massive study that showed more than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a US health study contained glyphosate.

Permitted levels in tap water reach 700 ppb in USA, and are at 10 ppb in the European Union.

Among 85 tap water samples analyzed by Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse, glyphosate was found in 35 cases at levels up to 0.3 ppb.

In other tap water samples taken in the U.S. and the EU glyphosate residues were also low, which seem to rule out tap water as a major glyphosate exposure route, at least in these regions. (I’ll still be filtering my water though.)

Food

Glyphosate is regularly sprayed on more than 70 crops, including wheat, oats, barley, almonds, apples, dry edible beans, lentils, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), peas, grapes, rice, and sunflowers. Honey is also regularly contaminated.

The U.S. FDA tested for glyphosate for the first time in a small range of products in 2016, these included corn, soybeans, eggs and milk. The results showed that glyphosate was found at high but ‘legal’ levels in soybeans and corn but not in eggs or milk.

Independent studies found glyphosate in a wide range of products being sold at U.S. grocery stores including cereal, pea protein, bread and pulses. The majority of samples that tested positive had levels between 10 ppb and 1500 ppb.

UK government testing for glyphosate residues in bread showed frequent glyphosate contamination, sometimes exceeding 500 ppb in wholemeal bread.

Analysis of 69 honey samples from different origins revealed glyphosate at unexpectedly high levels, around 64 ppb. Some samples were contaminated with 163 ppb, a concentration neurotoxic to honeybees.

Mitigation Strategies

To reduce exposure to glyphosate and support detoxification:

1. Choose organic foods when possible. (ESPECIALLY OATS)

2. Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables.

3. Support liver health with antioxidants like vitamin C and E.

4. Consider supplements that may help bind glyphosate in the GI tract, such as humic acid or chlorella.

Conclusion

The more papers I read and the more I wrote about this topic, the angrier I got. If you like me are surprised that this wasn't told to you or fully explained to you, now is your opportunity to tell others.

Eating organic foods isn't necessarily a granola thing to do anymore. I think you can probably get away with not choosing organic foods that are whole and have skins, but if you're choosing things like bread, grains, oats, you owe it to yourself to try and find organic.

Wild that this is another thing I have to be concerned about when my grandparents grew up without any of these issues.

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