Organic, is it just more expensive produce and products?

Organic farming originated, as a way to grow crops without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Today, organic farming does allow the use of some natural pesticides and herbicides. The question is, what is the advantage of buying organic? What impact do these synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have?

A little background:

One of the most widely used pesticides is called glyphosate, or commercially known as Roundup. It's a broad spectrum pesticide sprayed abundantly in industrial farming. Initially the pesticide was classified as "low hazard." Globally the pesticide use has risen dramatically.  About 8.6 billion kg of glyphosate has been used since 1974, with 1.6 billion kg used in the US Alone (Benbrook, 2016). Glyphosate based products are used in tandem with genetically engineered resistant crops, such as corn, soybean and cotton. The use of these genetically modified crops has substantially increased glyphosate usage by 15 fold (Benbrook, 2016).

Increased Use of Glyphosate and Genetically engineered crops:

The increasing usage of glyphosate and genetically modified crops has been so significant that scientists are beginning to understand the impacts of high glyphosate application.  According to Duke and Powles (2008) this includes the decline in water quality, emergence of resistant weeds (that have unchartered environmental and economic impacts). Not to mention, the effects glyphosate is having on human health.

Impacts on Human Health:

While glyphosate originally was classified as "low hazard,"  In 2015, the  international agency for research on cancer (IRAC), has identified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. (Tarazona, 2017) The IARC has since found that there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. Furthermore that glyphosate caused DNA and chromosomal damage in human cells.  In 2019, the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released findings that connect glyphosate usage to non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  (Environmental Working Group, 2020) Glyphosate has also been linked to increasing the risk of caner, endocrine-disruption, celiac disease, autism, effect on erythrocytes, leaky-gut syndrome, etc... (Meftaul, 2020)

Celiac and Dysbiosis: In a study by Samsel (2013) researchers found that celiac disease was associated with gut dysbiosis; a decrease in commensal bacteria (lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria) which are killed by glphosate and an overgrowth of  C.difficile and Salmonella, which are promoted through glyphosate exposure.

Endocrine Disruption: In a study by Gasnier, human liver cells exposed to glyphosate had endocrine disruption from sub-agricultural doses of glyphosate. Human endocrine disruption was observed  at .5 ppm (parts per million), 2 ppm, 5 ppm, and 10ppm. Researchers found disruption in the inhibition of transcription of estrogen receptors, disruption on androgen receptors, and cytotoxic effects and DNA damages.  (Gasnier, 2009)

How are we exposed:

We are exposed to glyphosate  in the air, the water and in our food. Especially foods such as grains, cereals and beans. These crops have been heavily sprayed with glyphosate, as they are often genetically engineered to withstand high amounts of glyphosate without dying.  Increasing application of glyphosate is a pervasive issue in an increasingly toxic food system, which leads to higher toxic load in our bodies, which can further lead to chronic illness, autoimmunity, disease, inflammation, etc...

What can we do:

With the increasing use of Glyphosate, and an increasing risk on health, what can we do? Well there are a few things

• Shop organic, especially for products and crops like corn, soy, oats, cotton, beans, wheat products, etc..  These are crops that have been heavily sprayed with glyphosate, and or are crops that are genetically resistant to withstand glyphosate. According to the EWG glyphosate is sprayed on these crops before harvest, to dry them out faster, so that they can be harvested sooner, as opposed to dying  naturally. (EWG, 2022)

• Consume probiotic rich foods and/or probiotics --> research has shown that some bacteria is able to help digest  (Manogaran, 2018) Glyphosate may contribute to gut dysbiosis, as it can affect beneficial bacteria, while Clostridia and Salmonella exhibit resistance to glyphosate. (Rueda-Ruzafa, 2019)

• Wash produce in a solution of baking soda and water to help remove pesticides

• Help your body to detox and lower toxic burden in the body with binders and support supplements. (ViRadChem binder, HM-ET binder, Carboxy, CT Minerals)

• Be educated- environmental working group is a great place to learn more. Being educated and aware of what impacts our health, can help us get to the underlying root causes of disease.

References:

Benbrook CM. 2016. Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally. Environ Sci Europe 28: 3.

Duke SO and Powles SB. 2008. Glyphosate: a once-in-a-century herbicide. Pest Manag Sci 64: 319– 25.

Gasnier C, Dumont C, Benachour N, Clair E, Chagnon MC, Séralini GE. Glyphosate-based herbicides are toxic and endocrine disruptors in human cell lines. Toxicology. 2009 Aug 21;262(3):184-91. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2009.06.006. Epub 2009 Jun 17. PMID: 19539684.

“Glyphosate Contamination in Food Goes Far beyond Oat Products.” Environmental Working Group, 16 Feb. 2022, https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/glyphosate-contamination-food-goes-far-beyond-oat-products.

Manogaran M, Shukor MY, Yasid NA, Khalil KA, Ahmad SA. Optimisation of culture composition for glyphosate degradation by Burkholderia vietnamiensis strain AQ5-12. 3 Biotech. 2018 Feb;8(2):108. doi: 10.1007/s13205-018-1123-4. Epub 2018 Feb 2. PMID: 29430369; PMCID: PMC5794677.

Rueda-Ruzafa L, Cruz F, Roman P, Cardona D. Gut microbiota and neurological effects of glyphosate. Neurotoxicology. 2019 Dec;75:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.08.006. Epub 2019 Aug 20. PMID: 31442459.

Samsel, A., & Seneff, S. (2013). Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance. Interdisciplinary toxicology, 6(4), 159–184. https://doi.org/10.2478/intox-2013-0026

Tarazona, J. V., Court-Marques, D., Tiramani, M., Reich, H., Pfeil, R., Istace, F., & Crivellente, F. (2017). Glyphosate toxicity and carcinogenicity: a review of the scientific basis of the European Union assessment and its differences with IARC. Archives of toxicology, 91(8), 2723–2743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-017-1962-5