top of page
Search

The Detrimental Health Effects of Glyphosate

  • Writer: Dr. Bay
    Dr. Bay
  • Mar 23
  • 9 min read

Updated: Apr 2

Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world and one of the most common environmental pollutants. Glyphosate residues are found in personal care products, tap water, rainwater, sports fields, public parks, lawns, waterways, animal feed, and many of the conventional foods you eat every day. (25) The claim that glyphosate is harmless to humans has long been promoted by industry, with some even asserting that it is “safer than table salt.” (2)  However, a growing body of research now indicates that glyphosate poses significant risks to human health.



What is glyphosate?


Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that was first introduced into the agricultural industry in the 1970s. It works by blocking an enzyme pathway essential for plant growth and effectively kills weeds without harming crops that are genetically engineered to resist it. Farmers use glyphosate to reduce manual labor and increase productivity.


In recent news, several lawsuits over glyphosate's link to various cancers have been lost by companies like Monsanto, who have paid billions of dollars in settlements. (28) With the American Cancer Society adding glyphosate to their list of "Known and Probable Human Carcinogens" and the World Health Organization categorizing glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans", there has been a push for investigating the safety of glyphosate and its link to cancer in humans, especially since most of the initial research was funded by the industry that produced the herbicide. (1)(26) Existing research has already revealed how this pesticide can negatively impact human hormone, metabolic and gut microbiome health in ways that cause significant metabolic issues, creating the perfect environment for the development of chronic disease. (18)


Foods with high amounts of glyphosate residue:


Research has revealed some of the most common foods that contain glyphosate at high levels, including:

  • Apples

  • Canola

  • Celery

  • Cherries

  • Corn

  • Grapes

  • Kale

  • Pears

  • Potatoes

  • Processed foods (such as cereals, granola bars, snack bars, potato chips and oatmeals)

  • Soy

  • Spinach

  • Strawberries

  • Sugar beets

  • Tomatoes

  • Wheat (6)(18)(23) 


How does glyphosate harm the human body?

Glyphosate disrupts human physiology through many mechanisms including: microbiome alterations, hormone disruption, metabolic dysfunction and DNA damage.


Gut microbiome disruption:


Glyphosate's mechanism of killing weeds and other problematic organisms is through the inhibition of a metabolic pathway that does not exist in humans, but is found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. (3)(5) This pathway is called the shikimate pathway and it is present in the trillions of microorganisms that colonize your body and make up your microbiome.(19) 

The gut microbiome is important for digestion and absorption, helps with producing nutrients and proteins needed to make neurotransmitters and hormones. It also influences inflammatory responses, genetic regulation, immunity, energy production and plays a role in liver detoxification, anti-oxidant production, brain health, and behavior. (4)(10)(17)(18)(21) 

Glyphosate’s impact on the gut microbiome is similar to the effects of an antibiotic, chronic exposure affects the delicate balance of bacteria in the gut, often reducing probiotic colonies and leading to unfavorable microbiome alterations.(19) Research has shown that glyphosate exposure leads to notable imbalances and decreased microbiome diversity in mammals. (18)(19)(22) Decreased gut microbiome diversity is associated with many chronic health conditions such as obesity, metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, neurodegenerative disorders, IBD, type 2 diabetes, PCOS, endometriosis, cardiovascular disease and more. (27, 32) Glyphosate's disruption of the gut microbiome also causes a cascade of other metabolic issues down the line. This is because gut microbes aid the body in the production of dozens of nutrients and are involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters/hormones such as serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, and thyroid hormones. (3)(19)


Metabolic and hormone disruption:


Another notable way that glyphosate disrupts human physiology is through metabolic and hormone disruption. One example of the metabolic alterations that occur with glyphosate exposure is the impaired function of certain liver enzymes involved in detoxifying substances through bile acids. These disruptions can affect the production and metabolism of various nutrients that depend on these pathways, including:  

  • Folate

  • CoQ10 

  • Vitamin K 

  • Vitamin E

  • Manganese

  • Zinc (19)


These nutrients, hormones, and neurotransmitters are needed for hundreds of metabolic processes that occur in the body and control everything from energy production to bone integrity. This means that chronic glyphosate exposure has the potential to contribute to vitamin/mineral deficiencies, mood disorders, thyroid issues, gastrointestinal disorders, hormone disturbances, (19) infertility, sleep disturbances, (18) and immune disorders. (12) 

Glyphosate can also cause direct reproductive hormone disruption (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone) and impair thyroid hormone production and regulation through disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, alterations in expression and activity of enzymes and genes, transport proteins, receptor interaction and aromatase downregulation. (29) Glyphosate induced hormone changes and fertility problems have been reported in both men and women. (11)(18) With men specifically, research suggests that glyphosate impacts fertility by decreasing sperm count. (11) This may be an important factor in why global sperm counts have declined by over 50% in the last 50 years. (33) It may also play a role in why puberty has also been occurring at much earlier ages than ever before, (7) along with higher rates of female infertility, (11) PCOS, and other hormone imbalances. (8) Glyphosate has been sighted as a probable environmental trigger impacting gene expression linked to PCOS and infertility. (32) Animal studies also demonstrate that glyphosate can alter gene expression in genes that are important for proper reproductive, thyroid, hypothalamus and pituitary function. (30) This means there are several additional avenues for glyphosate to potentially cause thyroid issues, infertility, hormone imbalances and more.(11)(16)(18) Glyphosate exposure also poses significant risk during pregnancy, potentially increasing the risk of low birth weight and premature babies. (13) (16) Some evidence implies it may also be associated with higher risk of offspring developing allergies and respiratory issues later on in life. (34) (35)


In addition to those mechanisms, glyphosate can also induce oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. This can lead to DNA damage, lipid and protein peroxidation and other issues linked to energy metabolism, increased cancer risk and kidney and liver dysfunction. (31, 32) Glyphosate is now classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic to humans” and has been linked to several B-cell related cancers, but most often linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (36)


The bottom line:


Current evidence regarding the safety of glyphosate suggests that there may be long-term consequences to our health. Eating organic food may be a more significant factor in maintaining health and avoiding chronic illness than has been previously recognized. (1)(18)(26)



If you can’t always buy organic, below is a simple science backed way to help remove surface pesticides from fruits and vegetables, protecting your gut and supporting your immunity.


Baking Soda Produce Wash:


Ingredients:


-1 teaspoon baking soda for every 2 cups of water (make enough to cover the produce you want to wash)


Instructions:


1. Dissolve the baking soda in a bowl of cool water.


2. Submerge produce for 12–15 minutes.


3. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water.


4. Dry before storing or eating.





References


  1. American Cancer Society. (2019, August 14). Known and probable human carcinogens. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/general-info/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens.html

  2. Attorney General of the State of New York. (n.d.). Assurance of discontinuance pursuant to executive law § 63(15). Retrieved from https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/fraud.pdf

  3. Boocock, M. R., & Coggins, J. R. (1983). Kinetics of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase inhibition by glyphosate. FEBS Letters, 154(1), 127–133. 

  4. Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). Mind-altering microorganisms: The impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(10), 701–712. 

  5. de María, N., Becerril, J. M., García-Plazaola, J. I., Hernández, A., de Felipe, M. R., & Fernández-Pascual, M. (2006). New insights on glyphosate mode of action in nodular metabolism: Role of shikimate accumulation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54(7), 2621–2628. 

  6. Environmental Working Group. (n.d.). #DirtyDozen fruits and vegetables with the most pesticides – @EWG’s shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce. Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

  7. Farello, G., Altieri, C., Cutini, M., Pozzobon, G., & Verrotti, A. (2019). Review of the literature on current changes in the timing of pubertal development and the incomplete forms of early puberty. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 7, 147. 

  8. Ganie, M., & Kalra, S. (2011). Polycystic ovary syndrome - A metabolic malady, the mother of all lifestyle disorders in women - Can Indian health budget tackle it in future? Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 15(4), 239–241. 

  9. Halfvarson, J., Brislawn, C. J., Lamendella, R., Vázquez-Baeza, Y., Walters, W. A., Bramer, L. M., … Jansson, J. K. (2017). Dynamics of the human gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease. Nature Microbiology, 2, 17004. 

  10. Jandhyala, S. M., Talukdar, R., Subramanyam, C., Vuyyuru, H., Sasikala, M., & Reddy, D. N. (2015). Role of the normal gut microbiota. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 21(29), 8787. 

  11. Kaur, R. P., Gupta, V., Christopher, A. F., & Bansal, P. (2015). Potential pathways of pesticide action on erectile function – A contributory factor in male infertility. Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction, 4(4), 322–330. 

  12. Nakashima, K., Yoshimura, T., Mori, H., Kawaguchi, M., Adachi, S., Nakao, T., & Yamazaki, F. (2002). [Effects of pesticides on cytokines production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells--fenitrothion and glyphosate]. Chudoku Kenkyu, 15(2), 159–165. 

  13. Parvez, S., Gerona, R. R., Proctor, C., Friesen, M., Ashby, J. L., Reiter, J. L., … Winchester, P. D. (2018). Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: a prospective Indiana birth cohort study. Environmental Health, 17(1), 23. 

  14. Patterson, E., Ryan, P. M., Cryan, J. F., Dinan, T. G., Ross, R. P., Fitzgerald, G. F., & Stanton, C. (2016). Gut microbiota, obesity and diabetes. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 92(1087), 286–300. 

  15. Razavi, A. C., Potts, K. S., Kelly, T. N., & Bazzano, L. A. (2019). Sex, gut microbiome, and cardiovascular disease risk. Biology of Sex Differences, 10(1), 29.

  16. Richard, S., Moslemi, S., Sipahutar, H., Benachour, N., & Seralini, G.-E. (2005). Differential effects of glyphosate and roundup on human placental cells and aromatase. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(6), 716–720. 

  17. Rooks, M. G., & Garrett, W. S. (2016). Gut microbiota, metabolites and host immunity. Nature Reviews Immunology, 16(6), 341–352. 

  18. Samsel, A., & Seneff, S. (2013). Glyphosate’s suppression of cytochrome P450 enzymes and amino acid biosynthesis by the gut microbiome: Pathways to modern diseases. Entropy, 15(4), 1416–1463. 

  19. Seneff, S., & Samsel, A. (2015). Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases III: Manganese, neurological diseases, and associated pathologies. Surgical Neurology International, 6(1), 45. 

  20. Shim, Y. K., Mlynarek, S. P., & van Wijngaarden, E. (2009). Parental exposure to pesticides and childhood brain cancer: U.S. Atlantic coast childhood brain cancer study. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(6), 1002–1006. 

  21. Slavin, J. (2013). Fiber and prebiotics: Mechanisms and health benefits. Nutrients, 5(4), 1417–1435. 

  22. Syromyatnikov, M.Y., Isuwa, M.M., Savinkova, O.V., Derevshchikova, M.I., & Popov, V.N. (2020). The effect of pesticides on the microbiome of animals. Agriculture, 10(3), 79.

  23. Temkin, A. (2018, August 15). Breakfast with a dose of roundup? Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/childrenshealth/glyphosateincereal/

  24. Thongprakaisang, S., Thiantanawat, A., Rangkadilok, N., Suriyo, T., & Satayavivad, J. (2013). Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 59, 129–136. 

  25. Van Bruggen, A. H. C., He, M. M., Shin, K., Mai, V., Jeong, K. C., Finckh, M. R., & Morris, J. G., Jr. (2018). Environmental and health effects of the herbicide glyphosate. Science of The Total Environment, 616–617, 255–268. 

  26. Van Hoesen, S. (2015, March 15). World Health Organization labels glyphosate probable carcinogen. Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/release/world-health-organization-labels-glyphosate-probable-carcinogen

  27. Wang, B., Yao, M., Lv, L., Ling, Z., & Li, L. (2017). The human microbiota in health and disease. Engineering, 3(1), 71–82. 

  28. Yan, H. C. (2018, August 12). Monsanto case: Jurors give $289 million to man they say got cancer from Roundup weedkiller. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/10/health/monsanto-johnson-trial-verdict/index.html

  29. García, Ana M., et al. “Mechanisms of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Action in Female and Male Fertility in Humans and Animal Models.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 22, no. 21, 2021, article 11617. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8622223 

  30. Mesnage, Robin, et al. “Cytotoxicity of Glyphosate and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides on Human Thyroid Cells.” Environmental Pollution, vol. 307, 2022, article 119521. ScienceDirect,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749122020164   

  31. Costas-Ferreira, Carmen, et al. “Toxic Effects of Glyphosate on the Nervous System: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 23, no. 9, 2022, article 4605. MDPI, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360132479_Toxic_Effects_of_Glyphosate_on_the_Nervous_System_A_Systematic_Review 

  32. Aoun, Pamela G., et al. “Glyphosate Use in Crop Systems: Risks to Health and Sustainable Alternatives.” Toxics, vol. 13, no. 11, 2025, article 971. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12709226/

  33. Levine, Hagai, et al. “Temporal Trends in Sperm Count: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.” Human Reproduction Update, vol. 23, no. 6, 2017, pp. 646–659. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6455044/ 

  34. Leão, Rita, et al. “Respiratory and Allergic Effects in Children Exposed to Pesticides—A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 10, 2020, article 3397. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7254369 

  35. Buchenauer, Lisa, et al. “Glyphosate Differentially Affects the Allergic Immune Response Across Generations in Mice.” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 850, 2022, article 157973 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722050720 

  36. Weisenburger, Dennis D. “A Review and Update with Perspective of Evidence that the Herbicide Glyphosate Is a Cause of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.” Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia, vol. 21, no. 9, 2021, pp. 621–630. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2152265021001518 


 
 
bottom of page