An Organic Diet Drastically Reduces Toxic-Pesticides Levels
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New study: Rid your body of Monsanto’s weedkiller. Here’s how.

New study: Rid your body of Monsanto’s weedkiller. Here’s how.

Organic Diet Drastically Reduces Glyphosate Levels

 

A new study shows levels of glyphosate (aka Roundup) in families drop dramatically after one week of eating organic

A new study done by Friends of the Earth found that levels of the pesticide glyphosate in participants’ bodies dropped an average of 70% after six days on an organic diet. Glyphosate is the main chemical ingredient in Bayer’s (BAYRY) Roundup®, the world’s most widely used pesticide. The researchers tested four families in Baltimore, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Oakland, finding glyphosate in everyone’s bodies, including children as young as four.

 

The peer-reviewed study, published in Environmental Research, is part of the most comprehensive scientific analysis showing that an organic diet rapidly and dramatically reduces exposure to toxic pesticides, including glyphosate, organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and 2,4-D. The researchers would expect to see similar reductions in pesticide levels in most Americans if they switched to an organic diet. Learn more about these pesticides and their health effects with the Smart on Pesticide Database.

This is the first study to look at how an organic diet affects exposure to glyphosate. Despite the widespread use of this pesticide, very few studies have evaluated the extent and amount of human exposure. Given the rapid drop after participants switched to an organic diet, this study indicates that for the general population, diet is the primary way they’re exposed to glyphosate. Learn the first steps to going organic and how to go organic on a budget.

What is Glyphosate?

Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world

In the United State, over 280 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to farm fields annually. On average, 84% is used on genetically engineered “Roundup Ready” soybeans, corn, and cotton. However, it’s also approved for use on over 100 other crops.

Glyphosate is linked to a range of health problems

Decades of data show that pesticides can disrupt and derail the healthy functioning of our bodies. Glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and has been linked to high rates of kidney disease in farming communities and to shortened pregnancy in a cohort of women in the Midwest. Animal studies and bioassays link glyphosate and its formulations to endocrine disruption, DNA damage, decreased sperm function, disruption of the gut microbiome, and fatty liver disease.

Small Exposures Matter

While pesticide residue on food falls below levels regulators consider safe, regulators fail to keep pace with current science. They fail to take into account the compounding effect of our daily exposure to a toxic-pesticide soup. As well, regulators set one safe level for everyone, instead of taking into account the increased risk children have to pesticide exposure. As well, even small amounts can disrupt our hormone system. These endocrine disruptors can scramble, block, or mimic critical cellular mechanisms in our bodies, increasing the risk of cancers, learning disabilities, birth defects, obesity, diabetes, and reproductive disorders. Along with glyphosate, over 50 pesticides are associated with endocrine disruption. The only safe amount of pesticides is none.

Make organic for all

Despite the ever-growing demand for organic food, the U.S. government continues to favor the profits of the pesticide industry over our health, spending billions of our taxpayer dollars to prop up pesticide-intensive farming while organic programs and research are woefully underfunded. This misdirection of public dollars makes pesticide-laden food the norm and is a significant reason why many people across the country still don’t have access to, or can’t afford, organic food.

We should not have to “shop our way out” of exposures to toxic pesticides. We all have the right to food that is free of toxic pesticides. People living in farm communities should have the right to be free of exposure to toxic pesticides, starting with the children who live and go to school near farm fields where pesticides are sprayed and farmers and farmworkers who are exposed daily. The way we farm should protect rather than harm the biodiversity, soil, and water that sustain all life.

Elected officials must protect the health of people and the planet and stand up to corporate influence. And the food industry has a responsibility to consumers, the environment, and society at large. Together, we can demand government and corporations step up to create a healthier world for all people.

Take action by supporting the Organic for All movement. Also, take action with the Go Organic Maryland Campaign and learn more about organic living and how you can get involved.