Glyphosate found to accumulate in animals and humans, leading to chronic illness

Tuesday, April 01, 2014 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: glyphosate, cumulative toxin, chronic illness

(NaturalNews) Yet another scientific study has debunked the myth that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) pose no threat whatsoever to animals or humans. A team of researchers from both Germany and Egypt, publishing their findings in the Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology, discovered that animals fed GM feed had much higher levels of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, in their urine and organs than animals fed non-GM or organic feed.

This translated into higher levels of the toxic chemical in humans as well, according to the study, proving once again the inherent abnormalities of GMOs and their assimilation in mammals. Contrary to claims made by Monsanto that glyphosate is "safe" for humans, this new study shows that it most definitely accumulates in humans and animals, and is likely causing long-term health effects.

For the study, the team tested urine samples collected from GMO-fed dairy cows, as well as from hares, rabbits and humans exposed to milk from these cows. They also collected urine samples from dairy cows fed non-GM or organic feed, as well as from animals and humans exposed to this milk. Using the ELISA protocol and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) to analyze the samples, the team crunched the numbers and made comparisons.

They found that the cows not exposed to GMOs through their feed had significantly lower levels of glyphosate in their urine than cows fed GMO-containing feed. In the latter group, high concentrations of glyphosate and its metabolites were also found in the cows' intestines, livers, muscles, spleens and kidneys, demonstrating how the chemical progressively accumulates throughout the body.

If you eat GMOs, glyphosate is likely accumulating in your body

Similar findings were observed in the hares, rabbits and humans exposed to GMOs. Conventional feeding protocols were found to produce much higher levels of glyphosate poisoning in humans than non-GM and organic feeding protocols. Correspondingly, the most chronically ill participants in the study tested high for glyphosate, while the healthiest participants had the lowest levels of the chemical in their bodies.

"The presence of glyphosate residues in both humans and animals could haul the entire population towards numerous health hazards," wrote the authors. "[S]tudying the impact of glyphosate residues on health is warranted and the global regulations for the use of glyphosate may have to be re-evaluated."

Glyphosate linked to gastrointestinal disease, heart disease and cancer

As explained in the same study, glyphosate directly interferes with the body's P450 enzymes, which are responsible for modulating the synthesis of sex steroid hormones in the body. It is also believed that this inhibition results in the synergistic disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, resulting in a variety of health conditions including gastrointestinal damage, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, dementia and cancer.

"[G]enotoxic [gene-damaging] activity, teratogenic [physiology-damaging] activity, and disturbance of the normal gut bacterial community due to glyphosate are reported," added the researchers.

Glyphosate accumulates in plants, growing soils

The public has repeatedly been assured by the industry and its media mouthpieces that glyphosate at current exposure levels is safe, and that the chemical does not accumulate in soils. But actual science says otherwise, showing that glyphosate actually accumulates in the leaves of plants, as well as in grains and fruit and the soils in which they are grown.

"Glyphosate residues cannot be removed by washing and they are not broken down by cooking," concludes the groundbreaking report. "Presence of glyphosate in urine and its accumulation in animal tissues is alarming even at low concentrations. ... Despite glyphosate's global dominance as an herbicide, there is little testing of glyphosate residues in animals and humans."

You can read the study in its entirety here:
http://omicsonline.org.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.gmwatch.org

http://omicsonline.org

http://bigstory.ap.org

http://science.naturalnews.com