If you think that organic produce is no different than conventional produce I beg you to think again. A new review article published in April 2013, in the peer-reviewed journal, Entropy, by Drs. Seneff and Samsel indicates that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, has been found to be pervasive in the food supply.
The researchers argue that glyphosate residues are found in most of the foods in the Western diet because it is in the common genetically modified crops — corn, soy, canola and sugar (from sugar beets,) that are ubiquitous in the food supply.
With 286 scientific references, Seneff and Semel offer a good argument against the use of glyphosate.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. It is a non selective herbicide that was patented in 1964 as a strong metal chelator. That means that it grabs hold of elements and makes them unavailable.
In 1974 Monsanto registered glyphosate as an herbicide. It binds up calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, nickel, boron and zinc.
Glyphosate disrupts plant physiology so that they cannot grow and can’t defend themselves against disease. The plants die as a result of the diseases they may acquire — indirectly from the glyphosate.
Glyphosate is systemic. It takes only one drop sprayed on any part of the plant and it goes throughout the entire plant. A minimum of 20% of glyphosate that hits the foliage is exuded through the plant’s root system directly to the soil. It stays in the soil.
Mechanism of Glyphosate
Glyphosate works by inhibiting specific enzymes called cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes play a critical role in the detoxification of xenobiotics.
Seneff and Semsel postulate that interference with the cytochrome P450 enzymes, creates a synergistic disruption,
of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. We explain the documented effects of glyphosate and its ability to induce disease, and we show that glyphosate is the “textbook example” of exogenous semiotic entropy: the disruption of homeostasis by environmental toxins… Thus, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins.
In total, glyphosate is the worst thing that has ever happened to the earth and Monsanto and the law makers who are in their pocket completely deny these problems.
Glyphosate is damaging
Dr. Robert Kremer, a microbiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service has studied glyphosate and has come to several conclusions about the ways in which it is damaging.
- It kills beneficial microbes in the soil that keep pathogens in check.
- It is a food source to opportunistic bacterium and fungi (fusarium), so it promotes bad bugs.
- Glyphosate binds up all the nutrients in the plant so that when the plant is used for food it is nutrient deficient and the animals suffer. Any offspring from those animals are also nutrient deficient.
- It takes away control mechanisms in the plant so the plant cannot defend itself.
- It accumulate in the new growth points of plant — roots and buds.
- The breakdown product of glypohsate is AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid) which is more toxic than glyphosate. AMPA affects microbes that make nutrients available.
- Glyphosate filters down into the soil and any plant in the area will take up the glyphosate. If it is used to spray weeds, it can be taken up by any plants in the area of the spraying.
- There are 40 documented diseases that increase as a direct result of using glyphosate in all crops.
- As glyphosate is destroying the soil — it is also destroying the rumen of the cow — there are increasing cases of the clostridium bacterium that causes botulism occurring inside the cow. Not a pretty sight.
Glyphosate residues show up everywhere
The US Geological Service discovered glyphosate residues in significant concentrations in the air, the rain, in rivers, in streams and in lakes.
The US Geological Service found that in 2007 there were 88,000 tons of glyphosate being used — up from 11,000 in 1992. In the soil, glyphosate residues are up from .04 ppm to .08 ppm. There are residues found in corn, soybeans, soybean meal, and potatoes.
The manure taken from the CAFOS (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) show AMPA residues (metabolite of glyphosate) are up from .24 ppm to .81 ppm.
In South America Dr. Carrasco found severe skeletal deformities (cheeks, bones) in children of mothers who lived around the fields which were sprayed with glyphosate by airplane. In his own experiments he found 1 part to 3500 glyphosate caused deformities in frog and chick embryos.
French researcher Dr Gilles-Eric Seralini, documented that only 1-2 ppm can cause complete infertility of sperm and egg. Dr. Seralini again documented 2-10 ppm to cause damage to endocrine makeup of cell.
Environmental Protection Agency lowering the standards
In 1994 the EPA allowed 2 ppm of glyphosate. In 1997 they raised it to 20ppm — a 200% increase. They increased the allowance of glyphosate in sweet corn. Coincidentally (right) two months later, Roundup sweet corn was deregulated and will be on the market !
Still Think Conventional Food is as Safe as Organic?
I don’t know about you, but every time I read about Roundup, Monsanto and glyphosate, I get more determined to grow my own food when I can, and to buy organic food as much as I can.
One thing is for sure, I would NEVER eat conventionally grown corn because most of it is GM corn. I would avoid soy like the plague. I would be very careful about conventional refined sugar and I would never use canola oil (for other reasons as well).
What about you? How vigilant are you in avoiding these toxic foods?
What You Can Do
Join in on the March against Monsanto — May 25 everywhere!
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This post is shared at: Mommy Club, Real Food Wednesday, Sustainable Ways, Party Wave Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Small Footprint Friday, Barnyard Hop
