The Toxins In Food Drive Chronic Disease
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Health statistics suggest the toxic burden is becoming too great for children and adults alike, and toxins in our food appear to play a Key role.
According to some experts, toxins in the modern food supply are now “a major contributor to, and in some cases the cause of, virtually all chronic diseases.”
Dr. David Bellinger, a professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School has expresses similar concerns. According to his estimates, Americans have lost a total of 16.9-M IQ points due to exposure to organophosphate pesticides.
Most recently, a report by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics warns that chemical exposures now represent a major threat to human health and reproduction.
An Endocrine Society task force also recently issued a new scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, noting that the health effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals are such that everyone needs to take proactive steps to avoid them.
The statement calls for improved safety testing to determine which chemicals may cause problems.
‘Our Daily Poison’
Written and directed by Marie-Monique Robin, the film “Our Daily Poison” explores these kinds of issues, covering a spectrum of poisons that most people are exposed to on a regular basis.
This includes: Agricultural chemicals, Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and other food additives, and Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA)
The film also discusses “The Cocktail Effect” or interactions between chemicals that render the sum total more harmful than the risks associated with any given chemical in isolation. The film is available on Hulu.
Now, with the advent of the “Green Gevolution” starting in the 1930’s, chemicals became agents of choice and were widely embraced as the way to eradicate hunger and ensure abundance.
Agricultural chemicals such as pesticides were said to be responsible for providing the Western world with the highest living standard the world had ever known.
In this chemistry-based model, there is a chemical for every problem: pesticides to kill pests, herbicides to address weeds, insecticides to get rid of specific insects, fungicides against mushrooms and fungi +++.
But, as time wore on, problems and drawbacks of this system have become apparent.
For starters, farmers became increasingly vulnerable to diseases and chronic ailments related to toxic exposures, many of which came as a surprise to farmers who believed the chemicals were safe.
The film features a group of about 30 French farmers, who for more than 15 years have fought against the use of pesticides in France after becoming severely ill from either acute or long-term exposure.
Studies have shown both farm workers and rural residents living near farms are at increased risk of certain diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, which has been linked to pesticide exposure.
Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are potent toxins that can damage the human neurological system, including the brain. Even extremely low-level pesticide exposure has been found to considerably increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Certain types of cancer are also more prevalent among agricultural workers than the general population.
Different chemicals are associated with different side effects, as follows;
- Insecticides primarily produce neurological symptoms, such as headaches
- Fungicides tend to produce skin-related symptoms
- Herbicides are associated with digestive and skin problems
- Glyphosate, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, has been linked to an array of health effects, including:8,9
- Nutritional deficiencies, especially minerals
- Systemic toxicity
- Disruption of your microbiome; preferentially affecting beneficial bacteria, and allowing pathogens to overgrow increased antibiotic resistance
- Increased cancer risk
Monsanto’s (NYSE:MON) Roundup formulation may far worse than Glyphosate
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad spectrum herbicide Roundup. This herbicide is most heavily applied on genetically engineered (GE) Corn, Soybean, and Sugar Beet, but it’s also commonly used to desiccate conventional (non-GMO but non-Organic) Wheat and protect other conventional crops from weeds.
While the dangers of Glyphosate are fast becoming widely recognized, many fail to realize that the Roundup formulation is even more toxic than Glyphosate, because the surfactants in the formula synergistically increase Glyphosate’s toxicity.
Recent research by Gilles-Éric Séralini whose initial lifetime feeding study revealed massive tumor growth and early death, shows that long-term exposure to even ultra-low amounts of Roundup can cause cancer, along with liver and kidney damage in rats.
The dose used in this study was “environmentally relevant in terms of human, domesticated animals, and wildlife levels of exposure,” prompting the authors to suggest Roundup may have significant implications for health.
As revealed in the film, pesticides are not safe, and the science backing their use on the field, and the safety of consuming traces of them on food, has been largely produced by groups that have significant conflicts of interests.
The chemical industry has a revolving door with the regulatory agencies, which has allowed unreasonably hazardous chemicals to be used in the growing of our food.
The film reveals the history and questionable use of Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) as assurances of the “safe” level of pesticides in the diet. While many people believe these measures are based on sound science, in reality, there is plenty of guess work involved in calculating these limits.
Thousands of industrial chemicals are used daily in consumer products and food with grossly inadequate safety testing.
Even under the best circumstances, the current American system does not look at how chronically low doses of chemicals affect us, or how aggregate exposures affect us over time, it is these combined effects that pose the greatest concern.
Within this dysfunctional system, it is Key to keep our families safe. No one can avoid all chemicals and pollutants, but we can minimize exposure by keeping a number of Key principles in mind.
First, eat real food locally grown, fresh, and ideally Organic whole food. Processed and packaged food are a common source of chemicals such as BPA and phthalates. Wash fresh produce well, especially if it is not organically grown.
Second, choose grass-pastured, sustainably raised meats and dairy to reduce your exposure to hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers. Avoid milk and other dairy food products that contain the genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively.
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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