Introduction: Why Detox Glyphosate?
In recent years, the widespread use of glyphosate in our food supply has raised concerns about its impact on our health, particularly in relation to cancer & our digestive system. Glyphosate, a herbicide which began widespread use after the year 2000, has been linked to a surge in various gastrointestinal issues, cancers, and mental health problems.
It's crucial to understand the connection between glyphosate and various pathologies, as well as to implement effective solutions for detoxifying glyphosate from your system. By reducing your glyphosate burden, you can not only improve gut function but also eliminate gluten intolerance, experience improvements in mood, & improve brain function.
History Of Glyphosate
Glyphosate was originally patented by Monsanto in 1964 as a descaling agent for pipes and tanks [6]. This is because of it's phenomenal ability to chelate minerals such as calcium and magnesium (this is why glyphosate exposure is associated with a variety of micronutrient deficiencies in humans.)
In the 1970s, it was patented as a herbicide, establishing it's ability to kill weeds. This began it's use in agriculture, with it's introduction to the consumer market coming in 1974 as Roundup.
In 1985, EPA classified it as a Class C carcinogen. Then, due to various studies with questionable sources of funding, EPA dropped it's classification to a Class E, "non-carcinogenic" in 1991.
Fast forward to 2016: Dewayne Johnson filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, claiming it lead to the development of his Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. This opened up a series of lawsuits, which eventually led to over 12 billion dollars in payouts to over 100,000 other cancer-related claims.
"Round-Up Ready" Crops
One of glyphosate's later patents identified it was a biocide [6], meaning it tends to kill all life ("bio=life, -cide=substance that kills.) The introduction of "Round-up-Ready" GMO crops allowed plants to not die when exposed to glyphosate. This allowed farmers to spray immense amounts of glyphosate over their fields, killing all the weeds, but allowing the plants to stay alive. More than 90% of soybeans, corn, cotton, and sugarbeet in the US are genetically modified.
How Do People Get Exposed to Glyphosate?
Wheat & Legumes: Glyphosate tends to be highest in oats, wheat, barley, chickpeas, and lentils, since this herbicide is also used as a desiccant to dry out these crops before harvest.
Corn & Soy: Testing from the FDA also found glyphosate residues in over 65% of corn and soybeans [1].
Wine & Beer: 19 of 20 of the Most common Wine & Beer Brands had glyphosate in them [2].
Honey: The FDA found out of 27 brands of honey tested, 100% contained glyphosate. [5]
Water: Nearly 300 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed on crops every year in the US, totaling nearly 1 pound of glyphosate per person. [4] Unfortunely, this means glyphosate has become pervasive in our food supply, and it's intense usage has also caused it to runoff into groundwater around the US [3].
How Does Glyphosate Impact Human Health?
Some people are aware of glyphosate's correlations with cancer due to the successful lawsuits against Monsanto, which led to a payout of over 12 billion dollars to over 100,000 people.
However, the damage glyphosate causes is often sub-clinical, meaning it impacts people's health subtlety without causing obvious symptoms. Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Author of Toxic Legacy: How the Glyphosate Weed Killer is destroying our health and the environment, has produced some amazing research about what exactly glyphosate does to the body.
Understanding the Glyphosate-Gut Connection
Glyphosate is devasting to our beneficial gut microbes. By disrupting our microbiomes, pathogens gain a foothold in our intestines. This leads to inflammatory immune reactions, as our immune system attacks those overgrowing pathogens. This chain reactions leads to various manifestations such as leaky gut, IBS, and celiac disease.
It is no coincidence that many people who report intolerances to gluten in the United States, have fewer reactions to European wheat when they travel. The key difference is the use of glyphosate; it is far less common in Europe, and several countries have even banned its use. This points to a strong correlation between glyphosate exposure and gluten intolerance.
Celiac disease, and by extension, gluten intolerance, is closely associated with certain imbalances in the gut microbiome. These imbalances can be largely attributed to glyphosate, which is known to disrupt gut microbiomes in ways that mimic the imbalances seen in celiac disease.
Mineral Deficiencies caused by Glyphosate
The way glyphosate actually works as a weed killer is by chelating vital minerals from plants, killing them. Unfortunately, it does the same thing to us! This includes iron, copper, manganese, cobalt, and more. With some minerals, it may not only deplete us, but cause accumulation of toxic forms it, such as with manganese. Glyphosate can cause toxic accumulation of manganese in the brainstem and liver, which is related to various neurological diseases such as Parkinson's [7].
Glyphosate impair mental health through disrupting neurotransmitter balance
Our gut microbes produce crucial amino acids we cannot get from our foods, through the shikimate pathway. These aromatic amino acids are the precursors to various neurotransmitters & hormones, such as serotonin, dopamine, melatonin, and thyroid hormone. Glyphosate bl0cks this shikimate pathway in microbes, leading to worsened mental health, anxiety, & depression.
Glyphosate can Disrupt Liver Function
Glyphosate can disrupt Cytochrome P450 (CYP) in the liver. This enzyme is important for detoxification of various environmental pollutants. Glyphosate can also impact bile production, deplete glutathione in the liver, and cause accumulation of toxic manganese in the liver.
Hormone Balance: Glyphosate as an endocrine disruptor?
Glyphosate is an estrogenic agent. It is associated with reproductive harm and even breast cancer. This makes detoxification of it an effective strategy for improving testosterone, hormone balance, and libido. Through it's disruption of CYP, it also worsens the bodies ability to detoxify xenobiotics & endocrine-disruptors in the environment.
The connection between aluminum and glyphosate: damaging the brain and pineal gland?
As mentioned earlier, glyphosate is known to chelate minerals, preventing their absorption. When it binds to aluminum however, it forms a novel, unnatural compound, and goes directly to the pineal gland. There it impairs it's function, leading to worse sleep and lower melatonin production, which is one of the most important molecules in our bodies. This is why detoxifying glyphosate is an effective strategy to heal the pineal gland, which improves brain detoxification at night [8].
Using Hair Mineral Analysis, I've seen aluminum toxicity in almost every single hair test I have ever analyzed. This means the aluminum issue is widespread, compounding with the widespread glyphosate issue. This is why addressing aluminum and glyphosate together quickly improves energy levels, brain health, and gut health in most people. How to do this is covered in my free downloadable guide, "How to Become Resilient in a Toxic World," available here.
How to Detoxify Glyphosate From Your Body: 4 Key Strategies
The good news: eliminating glyphosate from your system is relatively simple! Here is how to do so:
1. Choose Organic Foods + Fermented Foods
Selecting organic foods is an essential step in reducing glyphosate exposure. Organic produce, grains, tend to have lower levels of glyphosate. As well, fermented foods have been shown to increase urinary excretion of glyphosate.
2. Fulvic/Humic: A Natural Detoxifier
Fulvic/humic acids has been shown to increase glyphosate excretion from the body. These organic acids help bind to glyphosate molecules, facilitating their elimination from your system. It must be noted that there are many poor quality fulvic/humic acid products on the market. My favorite products in this category are CellCore CT-Minerals and BC-ATP (to order, use patient direct code tsXvEkKF,) ION* Gut Support, and Biopure Matrix Minerals.
3. Glycine: The glyphosate antidote
One of the mechanisms of damage for glyphosate is by replacing glycine in proteins. This causes the proteins to misfold, leading to many downstream health affects. Glycine, an amino acid, has the ability to push glyphosate out of your body. It binds to glyphosate and assists in its excretion, effectively reducing the burden of this herbicide. Including glycine-rich foods such as collagen or glycine supplement can support your body in eliminating glyphosate.
4. Get a Hair Mineral Analysis
Hair Mineral Analysis can help identify derangements in biochemistry that might make detoxifying glyphosate more difficult. It can also help identify which mineral imbalances need to be addressed as a result of glyphosate toxicity. To learn more about getting a hair mineral analysis, see our services here.
Conclusion
Glyphosate has become a prevalent part of our food supply, contributing to a rise in gluten intolerance, neurological diseases, and various gastrointestinal issues. Combining organic foods, fulvic & humic Acids, and glycine can be effective ways to lower your glyphosate burden. Hair Mineral Analysis can help resolve the mineral-imbalances associated with glyphosate as well. By taking steps to detoxify glyphosate from your system, you can radically improve your gut, brain, and overall health.
I hope this helps in your journey to higher levels of well-being!
With Love,
Kyle Peche, MNBP, BS, HTMA Practitioner.
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