Roundup and Glyphosate – it’s in your food, not just on your sidewalk

Roundup is an herbicide that was developed by Monsanto, a large chemical technology conglomerate. Most Canadians know of Roundup from commercials and buying it from the local garden store to kill weeds around their home. The garden store has to give buyers a short 1-2 minute “warning” about the dangers and special handling needed for Roundup. Obviously it is risky to use.

Did you know?

• Roundup is sprayed onto wheat before putting wheat into storage – it is approved by the government as a drying agent, to prevent fermentation. It cannot be washed out of the food.
• 20 countries in the European Union have banned its use in their local agriculture.
• Its use in agriculture around the world has increased steadily since 1991, which coincides with the growth in the prevalence of Autism.
• A study by a Europe-based Environmental group tested the urine of 182 people who do not handle pesticides or herbicides: 44% of participants had quantifiable amounts of glyphosate, while 7% had 0.8 mcg/L which is the cutoff level for safety.
• Glyphosate specifically kills Bifidobacteria, allowing overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria that produce inflammatory phenols that can cause Inflammatory bowel disease (this can be identified from a urine Organic Acid Test).
• People with high ammonia should be suspected of excessive glyphosate consumption or exposure because ammonia is a by-product of glyphosate breakdown.

Deficiencies in Autism

Animal studies show that glyphosate damages the digestive tract. The inflammation that develops can be responsible for reducing the absorption of Zinc and Iron. Other deficiencies that are common in people with Autism that can be related to glyphosate consumption include:

• Calcium, Manganese, Cobalt
• Low serum sulfate and methionine which are necessary for detoxification
• Serotonin and Melatonin deficiency (consider mood, learning difficulties and sleep problems)
• Defective aromatase (CYP enzyme) which is also critical for the detoxification of toxic substances and the activation of Vitamin D3
• Mitochondrial dysfunction

Glyphosate is also considered to be a contributing factor in:

• Cancers
• Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
• Alzheimer’s Disease

There are many reasons Dr. Clack can explain to justify removing wheat from your family diet and following the Dirty-Dozen/Clean-15 list in your grocery shopping: avoidance of glyphosate and Roundup is one of the most important ones.

Dr. Clack can order and discuss the tests that can help you understand the potential risk of over-exposure to glyphosate.