It seems like more and more people are struggling with their health these days; everyone knows someone who has battled (or is battling) cancer, we take probiotics with our daily vitamins to aid our digestion and increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with autism. Is this generation more prone to medical problems, or is there a common tie that is compromising our health?
Monsanto’s Roundup (glyphosate), the world’s most commonly used pesticide, has been proven to cause many current ailments. Here are some of the most common:
Stephanie Seneff, PhD, a research biologist at MIT, attributes genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the increase in neurological diseases in children. (Glyphosate and genetically modified seeds go hand in hand - the glyphosate kills the weeds and the GM seeds are resistant to the herbicide.) Currently, one out of every 68 children in the US is diagnosed with autism making it the fastest growing developmental disability. It has risen by almost 120% - in direct proportion to glyphosate usage in corn and soy crops - since the year 2000 and Seneff predicts that half of children will be diagnosed with autism by the year 2025.
In a study performed in Germany, scientists analyzed how glyphosate gets into our food sources through dairy cows and slaughtered animals that are raised for human consumption. They discovered that, “chronically ill humans showed significantly higher glyphosate residues in urine [as compared to a] healthy population.” The scientists involved warned that, “The presence of glyphosate residues - in both humans and animals - could haul the entire population towards numerous health hazards.” They also state that intense studies on the impact of glyphosate residues on human health to be closely re-evaluated.
In a combined study involving research teams from the United States and Australia, they monitored the effects of a genetically modified (GM) diet on pigs. These doctors noted that the sows has digestive problems including severe diarrhea which in some cases led to death. Also, the glyphosate killed the good bacteria in the intestines which caused bad bacteria (the kind that leads to food poisoning) to flourish. Additionally, the sows had fertility complications including smaller litters, abortions and birth defects which caused higher doses of antibiotics to be used later on.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a type of cancer that affects the blood. After studying 44 individual research projects, a report was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health which conclusively stated that Roundup contributed to double the risk of developing NHL in those who were consistently exposed to it (such as farmers and groundskeepers). These scientists who work in the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Section of Environment and Radiation in Lyon, France, determined that these pesticides caused genetic mutations in white blood cells which weakens the body’s immune system to fight off this disease.
