Masters of Health Magazine September 2018 | Page 44

Modern Bayer’s current pharmaceuticals division now focuses on prescription products including cardiology and women’s health care products, as well as cancer treatments. Its non-prescription range includes products for dermatology, nutrition, digestive health and cardiovascular prevention. These are exactly the issues and symptoms that can result from chronic glyphosate exposure and accumulation. One has to wonder if this cosy revolving-door business model came about by chance or by design…

What Happened to the Food?

The original promise of genetically modified organism (GMO) technology was that use of toxic chemicals would be reduced. However just the opposite has happened. For example, in 2002, the use of glyphosates on GMO soybean increased by 21%; and in 2011 farmers who cultivated corn, soya and cotton GMP crops used 24% more glyphosate than those who grew the same, but non-GMP varieties. [1]

In addition to spraying on GMP crops, glyphosate is also extensively used as a desiccating agent before harvest of non-GMO crops such as wheat, rye, barley, lentils, citrus and sweet potatoes to drench and dry down the crop, making the harvest easier. Our agricultural animals are also fed a substantial amount of these glyphosate-tainted crops. More studies need to be done to measure residues in meats. Once glyphosate was introduced into water and staple crops, it became ubiquitous in the food supply over the years as an invisible and sinister cellular intruder.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) found in their lab tests that 31 of 45 samples of conventionally grown oats had 160 ppb or more of glyphosate, thereby exceeding EWG’s health risk benchmark. Some organic products even had traces of glyphosate, but below the limits. This contamination of organic crops is because glyphosate residues can drift in wind, as well as be carried by birds and bees.

https://www.ewg.org/release/roundup-breakfast-weed-killer-landmark-cancer-verdict-found-kids-cereals-other-oat-based#.W35y9MJx2Uk

A glyphosate review published by an Italian University in March 2018 summarised the evidence as, “Glyphosate is the most sprayed and distributed chemical substance in human history [1-7]. Therefore, over the years of its use a global contamination has occurred, which has not only affected the soil, but also the surface and underground waters, the atmosphere and even food and objects of common use such as diapers, medical gauze and absorbents for female intimate hygiene – all materials in which glyphosate has been found in significant quantities [8].” [1]

Yes, you heard right girls. That means your tampons and menstrual pads. Is nothing sacred?

To add insult to injury, glyphosate is made more toxic within the Roundup formula due to adjuvants that help it penetrate plant membranes – which also end up penetrating human membranes and barriers. We can breathe it in, we can absorb it through the skin and we can consume it via food supply.

The review goes on to explain glyphosate’s mechanism of toxic action. Firstly, it is a strong chelating agent, creating complexes that immobilize the mineral micronutrients of the soil, such as magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc, making them unavailable to plants. This means that the food supply is robbed of vital mineral nutrients. We eat the food, it fills a void, but it doesn’t supply valuable nutrition. The end result is that we keep eating more and more empty carbs until obesity and other metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, senile dementia, inflammatory bowel disease, renal failure, thyroid or liver cancer develop.